Los Pantera
by Komusai Matakatana
Summary: In an attempt to integrate Arrancar and Shinigami into a cohesive workforce, Central 46 makes the Second Division's Captain the superior of a certain blue-haired pantera who can bring nothing but trouble into the Onmitsukido. Grimm/Soi centric
1. Prologue: Six Months

**Disclaimer: If I own Bleach then why am I writing fanfiction instead of new manga chapters?**

**Hey all you nice people in the Bleach community. I've recently got back into the writing experiment so I thought I'd make something fun to write and fun to read; you know…one of those summer things. Anyways, been itching to try out writing for Grimmjow and get something done with my new favorite pairing (all others will be from the manga so sorry). I hope you enjoy the first chapter of this Grimm/Soi centric and either way, drop me a review will ya. **

* * *

Amidst the myriad of black clothed stealth operatives wandering vagrantly around the second division barracks, a sleeveless white Captain's haori was making its way to the Vice-Captain's quarters, leaving dull metallic sounds behind it as two golden rings clashed together with the rise and fall of the legs beneath them. It was summer in Soul Society and a hot one at that; the shriveled remains of cherry blossom petals strewn about over the grounds were proof enough for Captain Soifon; the triple layer of clothing however seemed a bit overkill.

Her subordinates parted before her, their heads hung in a respectful bow until she passed them by where they once again resumed their meandering about in the arid weather, looking for some activity to do so that their minds were kept away from the sweltering heat.

It was nearly half a year since the defeat of Aizen and the end of the Winter War and the list of things to do had all but shrunk into nonexistence in the passing months. Seasons changed, tears had dried, and wounds new and old had mended. Soifon looked down at the left hand that had been given back to her by a certain auburn-headed ryoka and clenched it in testament to the thought as she approached her Vice-Captains residence.

Sliding open the shoji door, Soifon frowned as the desk before her was mysteriously devoid of its usual rotund occupant.

_Where the hell has he gotten off to, I have a meeting soon._

"You just missed him," A deep baritone called out from beyond a doorway to the right of the office, prompting the Captain to stride over the masses of paperwork and into a rather elegant lounge where the color purple was unnecessarily prominent throughout the chamber. There sitting sprawled out on a plush daybed was the owner of the earlier voice: a slender black feline.

"Where's that idiot gone, Yoruichi?" Soifon asked blandly as she turned her body to gesture back towards the vacant office before looking back to see a shamelessly naked woman leaning sideways on the very same article of furniture where the cat had been. Now up until a few months ago, the head of the second division would have found her mouth dry at her mentor's antics but her long-standing crush had just recently finished evaporating along with the usage of honorifics since she came to realize the impossibility of taking their relationship any further.

Noticing her former student's lack of reaction, Yoruichi's eyes shimmered with mock hurt as she wiggled upright to converse properly. "You don't find me attractive anymore, is that it, Shaolin?" the tanned ex-Captain whined playfully, leaning back against the cushion with her trademark smirk. Soifon growled at the name but her ferocity was betrayed as the corners of her mouth turned upwards slightly much to the amusement of her friend. "Alright well forget Omaeda," the Captain started, taking a seat from across Yoruichi. "What are you visiting for?"

Yoruichi smiled and drummed her nails across the daybed, her golden eyes rippling with mischief. "The old man invited all of us over from the living world for some sort of special announcement," she replied, noting Soifon's confused expression. "I haven't heard of anything going on at today's meeting and who exactly is this "us" you mentioned?" she asked slowly, not liking being left out of the loop one bit. "Oh you know, all the vets from the war but unfortunately not many of us came. Only me, Ichigo, who's probably just looking for a reason to skip school, and his little girlfriend that he dragged with him."

"No one else, huh?" Soifon commented with mild interest. "Well hopefully Kurosaki will tear down some walls and give my men something to do instead of drinking all day and night," she added dryly, earning a soft laugh from Yoruichi. "I'm sure you can count on it. Anyway, Shinji and his crew didn't want anything to do with Seireitei so they didn't come, pretty much the same story with Kisuke, and the rest are still in school," the dark-skinned goddess explained airily, already anticipating the next question. "So why are you here?" Soifon inquired, leaning forward in her chair in order to shrug off her white haori. "Because I'm a curious little kitty," Yoruichi quipped, raising her hand like a paw and batting at an imaginary piece of string.

The two women chuckled lightly before Soifon's eyes locked narrowly onto Yoruichi's golden orbs. "Bullshit," she muttered, effectively putting her mentor on the defensive. Both assassins stared at each other half-serious until their silent competition was interrupted by a chiming insect fluttering in through one of the open windows.

"Attention, the Captain's meeting will begin in ten minutes. Please regard that this meeting is mandatory and that any absences will not be tolerated," the voice of the Captain-Commander broke out firmly, allowing Soifon's piercing gaze to ease up and Yoruichi to sigh with a victorious smile.

"You've got eight lives left, Yoruichi," Soifon mumbled as she removed her black robes in favor of the backless uniform beneath before donning her white haori.

"Oh," Yoruichi shot up, catching the shorter woman by the wrist before she exited back into the office. "Read this while I get dressed, I'm coming too," she said hurriedly, handing Soifon a wax-sealed letter.

Soifon looked at Yoruichi with a questioning gaze before popping open the note and scanning the hastily written manuscript that adorned it.

_My dear Captain, _

_I have recently been informed of my father's untimely demise and I am returning to my estate to act as head of the family. Please do not replace my position for I will be returning within the next three centuries._

_Your loyal second in command,_

_Marechiyo Omaeda._

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Soifon seethed, crumpling up the note and tossing it into the air where it was sheared several times in lightning succession by Suzumebachi. "Do you know what I just read?" the irate Captain shouted over at Yoruichi who had just finished clasping a red lacey bra behind her back and gave her old student a look of mixed humor and sympathy. "Yeah, he told me half an hour ago…it's only about half as funny now as it was then though," she jabbed.

Not one to be outdone… "Second division just seems to be prone to abandonment, doesn't it?" Soifon retorted coldly, inwardly smirking as Yoruichi winced. "Low fucking blow," the goddess snickered darkly, passing into the office and motioning to head out towards first division's meeting chamber until the Captain behind her interjected. "Get back here and put some damn clothes on," Soifon barked, tossing a set of robes into Yoruichi's waiting arms.

"You'll give my whole division a nosebleed if you walk out like that and they've already lost enough fluids in this heat. My numbers are thin enough as it is, Yoruichi," Soifon snarled. She watched in approval as her mentor grudgingly began to make herself presentable. "But it's so hot," she moaned, stamping her foot childishly on the floor.

"Don't care," Soifon remarked wryly. "If you don't want to go out then stay here, you're not a Taicho anyway." Yoruichi grinned as she finished knotting her sash, aiming a mischievous glint in her eyes towards her unnerved friend. "You kiddin'? I've been waiting for this for months," she cooed playfully, regaining her edge over Soifon.

"Damn it, you do know something!" The petite Captain hollered, balling her hands into stern fists. All she could hear were the sounds of mocking laughter and the windy gust of shunpo as Yoruichi disappeared into the muggy early afternoon.

* * *

Soifon decelerated in front of the ominous wooden doors leading to the first division's meeting hall, cursing Yoruichi under her breath before entering the large chamber and taking her place amongst the line of officers and for the first time since Aizen's betrayal, the room didn't carry an air of emptiness and tension about it.

_What the hell are all these people doing here?_

She scanned the room with analytical eyes, ignoring the hail of loud discussion and trailing over the masses of Captains and Vice-Captains. Various efforts had been made to solidify the ranks but they were still lacking a handful of higher-ranking seated officers including two Captains. Abarai Renji had jumped at the chance to command ninth division with Hisagi Shuuhei as his Vice-Captain in an effort to become on par with Kuchiki Byakuya. Kotsubaki Sentarou: the acting Vice-Captain of the thirteenth division had given up his feud with Kotetsu Kiyone and hesitantly filled in Renji's gap as second in command of the sixth division, allowing Ukitake to finally promote Rukia as his second-in-command whether her brother liked it or not. The most notable and tragic change however had occurred when Hinamori Momo suffered unbearable emotional trauma after witnessing the death of Aizen Sousuke, stepping down as Vice-Captain of the fifth division for her inability to perform her duties in exchange for a third seat in the tenth, leaving her squad seriously lacking in leadership.

Rangiku had however intervened in the mental affairs of her new subordinate in a way that only another woman who had lost someone dear to them could, working slowly but surely to return Momo to adequate functionality.

Scowling at the visible absence of Captains Kyouraku and Ukitake, Soifon mumbled something about laziness and hangovers and continued scouting the chamber. Her eyes lingered on Yoruichi for a while as she conversed quietly with Captain Unohana before finding their way over to the resident substitute shinigami who had his arm around the waist of Orihime Inoue.

_Damn that kid's reiatsu is absolutely massive now, what has he been doing these past months?_

As time passed, the meeting hall became unbearably loud much to the annoyance of the elderly man standing between the lines of officers who unleashed a wave of reiatsu that floored several of the Vice-Captains and even made Soifon a little weak in the knees.

"This meeting will come to order," he bellowed in a tone that commanded absolute authority, immediately calling an end to all discussions.

The meeting from then on was nothing out of the ordinary, if anything it was too ordinary for the disgruntled Captain of the second division who noticed anxious faces wherever she looked. Growing even more heated throughout the painfully long discussion about budget distribution, Soifon found herself bouncing her right leg up and down in anticipation and for what she was feeling; it had better be fucking monumental.

"…which brings us to our final and most controversial announcement," the old Captain began, opening his eyes to let everyone in the room know that what was about to happen should be under no circumstances interpreted lightly. He let the tension hang in the air for a pregnant moment before turning to his moustached Vice-Captain, giving him a curt nod and watching intently as he walked over to the great wooden doors and stopped to await further orders.

"Unbeknownst to but a few of you gathered in this chamber," Yamamoto boomed over the silence, his voice echoing across the expanse of the room. "After the defeat of Aizen Sousuke…" The name caused several officers in the room to break their hard stances and gaze at the floor. "Central forty-six had an offer proposed to them by substitute shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo." All eyes regardless of whatever pain Aizen's name had struck in them were now curiously fixated on the orange-haired teenager. "This proposition was tested over the prolonged period of six months as agreed upon by those parties involved and voted in favor of as of last week."

The elder shinigami surveyed the room as attention was once again focused solely on him. "What I am about to tell you may and most likely will disturb several of you, my fellow Captains and Vice-Captains. Keep in mind that this action has been approved by Soul Society's highest echelon of government and that it is in my personal opinion, a wise and fair choice."

"Enough suspense old man!" Kenpachi yelled out from the line of officers, causing those near him to cringe at the repercussions of what he had just said. However, to everyone's surprise, the old Captain closed his eyes back into narrow slits and smiled slightly. "Very well Zaraki-Taicho," he began. "It is no secret that our ranks have thinned since the Start of the Winter War and as such, our first goal upon victory was to mend our wounds and return the Gotei Thirteen to optimal fighting strength. In the midst of our planning, Kurosaki Ichigo presented a rather stunning and controversial way to fill in several of the more critical gaps in our divisions. The action he requested was to…" For the first time in many years the Captain-Commander found it difficult to maintain a straight face as everyone in the room save a small amount of people, who all had giant grins plastered over their face, held their breath.

Yamamoto sighed explosively. "Bring them in Sasakibe," he ordered his Vice-Captain.

The great wooden doors slid open and for the second time in one day, Soifon found herself yelling, rather uncharacteristically- "You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

There in the threshold of the first division's meeting hall, standing next to Shunsui Kyouraku and Juushirou Ukitake were four pieces of ivory gleaming brightly in the afternoon sun.

"Pleasure's all yours, shinigami."

The awestruck silence leftover from Soifon's outburst was now alive with the sounds of zanpakuto being drawn quickly from their sheaths and cries of outrage.

"Eloquently put as always, Grimmjow."

Two successive blasts of reiatsu brought nearly everyone in the room coughing at their knees. Ichigo strode into the center of the room alongside the Captain Commander as he supported a weakened Orihime. "There will be order in this chamber," Yamamoto shouted, bringing his sealed zanpakuto down hard on the ground. Everyone in the room rose to their feet and hesitantly sheathed their weapons as Vice-Captain Sasakibe led the Captains and Arrancar into the meeting hall, doubling back to fetch one of the hybrids and one of the Captains who were leaning against each other for balance and pink in the cheeks. Sasakibe shook his head at the pair who despite being worlds apart, managed to look and act exactly the same; he nodded in thanks as the shortest of the Arrancar came to help him coach the drunken duo into the middle of the gathered shinigami.

Attention slowly but surely returned to Ichigo and the Captain-Commander as they approached the seven figures walking towards them. "What is this," Captain Komamura growled only to be immediately silenced when Yamamoto reached out his hand towards one of the Arrancar and shook with a smile as her hand grasped his firmly. "These, Sajin, are your new officers."

The room once again broke into an uproar.

Ichigo scowled heavily and ran his hand through his hair before looking over to the girl by his side "It might get a little rough in here, you wanna wait outside?" he asked in an apologetic tone. Orihime nodded slowly, her features turning from a small frown to a cute smile and slight blush after he kissed her forehead and led her back into the sunlight. "Me and the old man will take care of it, Hime. So don't worry about it, they can take care of themselves anyway," he said reassuringly before planting another chaste kiss on her lips. "Just don't hurt anyone, Ichigo-kun."

"…I'll try."

The substitute shinigami walked casually back into the ornate chamber, delving once again into the dormant chaos that threatened to erupt in the aftermath of the startling announcement. His trademark scowl upturned slightly with every step he took until he was standing with a manic smile next to Grimmjow. "Stay on your toes, kitty. This is going to be a big one," he muttered humorously, making the Arrancar break into a feral grin that rivaled the animalistic expression on his mask fragment. "Don't get too full of yourself, Kurosaki," Grimmjow chuckled. "Got time away from your woman to get a match in tonight?"

Ichigo rolled his neck around his shoulders, taking in the ever-furrowing eyebrows of the Captain-Commander and the riot that threatened to spring forth around him. "Fine but you better make it worthwhile, Grimmjow."

"I thought I just told you not to get so fucking cocky, Vasto Lorde."

The substitute shinigami's grin threatened to tear at the corners if it got any wider. He took one last look around the room before his eyes settled on the frustrated elder in front of him. "Well we tried things your way, old man," he sighed, heaving a great shrug as he set Zangetsu on the wooden floor and brought his arms out from the sleeves of his robes. Casually folding his uniform over his back and leaving his chest bare, Ichigo watched as Yamamoto gave him the go-ahead.

Yoruichi sauntered over to her protégé, tapping her on the arm lightly. Soifon looked up at the contact, her eyes still as wide as saucers from the revealing of the Arrancar. "You…you knew about this Yoruichi?" she asked in an exasperated tone, staring in disbelief at her mentor. The anamorphic goddess threaded her finger through her fuscia locks with a smirk on her face before replying. "Knew about it? I helped put this thing into motion. Oh! Hey, check out the kid."

Soifon whipped her head around and looked at the shirtless Ichigo with a puzzled expression. "Unlike you, Yoruichi, I don't think that kid taking off his clothes is going to stun everyone into silence," she commented blandly, raising her eyebrows.

"Funny. Now just keep watching and you'll see Kisuke's genius at work."

Black reiatsu snaked its way outwards from Ichigo's chest, wrapping around his body and fanning out across the meeting hall. The chamber grew steadily silent once more as the outrage was quickly snuffed out by the abysmal reiatsu that hung like a vast ocean above everyone's head.

Outside, Orihime rolled her eyes and trudged further away from the building, seeking shelter from the sun under the eaves of a nearby building.

_Ichigo-kun just had to go and be a showoff._

Yellow irises swam inside black sclera as the substitute shinigami gripped the right side of his forehead and raked a porcelain mask down across his face, smirking at the mass of priceless expressions playing out before him. He wished he could take a picture of Byakuya's face. A deep grunt came from his throat as he felt a light pressure in his sternum begin to expand in synch to all of the eyes that were now widening at the event taking place within his chest.

After Ichigo's hollow hole had stabilized, the choking black reiatsu suddenly rushed back inside his body, signaling the majority of the room's occupants to gasp for air as it was once again clear of impurities.

"You guys always wondered how I managed to beat Aizen," Ichigo announced in his morbidly distorted voice.

The ensuing explosion of sinister reiatsu was enough to shake the very foundation of the first division's barracks and alert all of Seireitei to the power that had won the Winter War.

Back in the meeting hall which had miraculously remained intact enough to still conduct meetings, the room's inhabitants were regaining their composure.

Grimmjow whistled loudly as he looked around in mirth of all the groaning shinigami, stifling a fit of laughter at the prone bodies of some of the Vice-Captains. No matter how many times Ichigo had transformed in Urahara's training room in the last six months, it still gave him one hell of a smile. He watched as both the flamboyant Captain and his previous _primera_ both sobered up upon the massive surge of raw power, the latter bending down to help up his fallen _fraccion_. His gaze then drifted over to the other former _espada _beside him who was desperately trying to disentangle her sea-green hair from the snags of the cartoonish mask crowning her head.

_Ichigo really knows how to get people to shut the fuck up._

"Form ranks!" The unmistakable voice of the Captain-Commander ordered, apparently giving a good portion of the officers in the room to work up enough motivation to stand back in line and keep their mouths shut. "Neither I nor Kurosaki Ichigo will tolerate one more interruption! The time for opinions and complaints will come later but for now I expect you all to behave as officers of the Gotei Thirteen and treat these Arrancar with as much respect as your peers." Silence was the old Captain's only confirmation that his orders had been heard loud and clear. "Now then, I believe our substitute shinigami has a few words for those of you who find the incorporation of Arrancar into the divisions distasteful."

"That's awfully kind of you, old man," a guttural voice rang out from the center of the chamber, the owner of which being obscured by a rotating cloud of dissipating black reiatsu. The first thing that everyone witnessed of the source of the voice was a pair of curved horns protruding grimly from the dark mist, later making way for what looked like a human skull with black markings etched vertically into the bone across the eyes. "Now that everybody's on their best behavior," the sepulchral figure muttered sardonically. "Let me just get in a few words before you all start screaming why you can't have my friends here anywhere near your divisions."

A clawed hand extended outwards from the mass of reiatsu, gesturing towards the Arrancar and the two Captains at their side.

Ichigo smiled as it finally dawned upon the crowd that what they were seeing was in fact real and it just so happened to be their brash young representative as a full hollow once the air around him finally became transparent once again, revealing the hole in his chest and the long orange hair that hung freely behind it.

He knew that five of the Captains had already been on his side from the start, the four seniors as well as Renji who had seen his transformation several times in the last few months. Kenpachi would probably hop on board just because they were strong, Captain Kurotsuchi was already partially in on the plans for integration since the Arrancar had been subjected to several "tests of loyalty" inside his lab so he was a shoe-in.

_Well that just leaves the hardest Captains to convince, doesn't it?_

Byakuya, Soifon, Komamura, and Toushiro…

_Damn._

"Kurosaki."

Ichigo was jolted from his thoughts as the Captain-Commander called him to attention. "You have the floor if you would like to compliment that recent display with something that might make the doubtful minds in this room breathe a bit easier around our Arrancar associates," Yamamoto uttered gruffly, stroking his long beard. Ichigo nodded over to him and spun around to face the ranks of officers quietly awaiting the amazing speech he hadn't yet formulated. His signal to start came from Yoruichi who shot him a thumbs up out of the corner of his eye as Orihime once again entered the room with an encouraging smile.

"There's some faces here that I haven't seen in a while," Ichigo began, panning across the group of Captains and Vice-Captains. "As you can tell, I've been working out a little since we last met in Karakura," he commented wryly, pleased to see that he got a few laughs out of nearly everyone except Byakuya whose stare was boring a hole through his mask. "As you might also be able to tell, there's a Vasto Lorde-class hybrid in _Resurreccion_ standing in front of you with both morals and reasoning skills." That got the room buzzing about in a low murmur.

"For those of you who know me which are pretty much all of you," Ichigo started again, turning his lips into an invisible smirk behind his mask as his confidence steadily increased. "You know that I would immediately jump into a situation that would put my own life on the line in order to protect each and every one of you." Several people in the room smiled warmly at the statement and watched as Orihime walked into the middle of the room and threaded her fingers through Ichigo's clawed hand. As she had hoped, the gesture drastically lessened the fear in the eyes of many of the officers around the room.

"You also know that I might not be the brightest kid in Soul Society but I do have a damn good sense about what is right. So let me tell you something, there is absolutely no reason to have any bad thoughts about my friends here," he stated with a surprising amount of bravado, pointing once more to the group of Arrancar who rewarded him with one smile and three sets of raised eyebrows

_Gee thanks…_

"I know that by a shinigami's concept of time, six months is a little short to be burying the hatchet. You guys don't like hollow, I know, Urahara Kisuke knows, Hirako Shinji knows, but most of all these guys here know. But in these last sixth months some of your Captains and I got together and decided to give these guys a chance because isn't one of the core beliefs of the shinigami that no one is beyond redemption?"

_Nice clincher._

The room suddenly fell into uncomfortable silence once Ichigo ceased to speak, the smirk on his face quickly sinking into a frown.

_Well shit, I thought it was pretty damn good for something I just came with on the spot._

Ichigo's sour thoughts continued until Captain Kyouraku stepped forward and planted a firm hand on his shoulder, shooting him a warm smile below his still slightly rosy cheeks.

"Hey Kurosaki," Captain Hitsugaya piped up from across the room. "You're going to need to cut your hair before we even think about hearing you out."

The room exploded into laughter and slight applause as Ichigo relaxed his posture a full fifteen degrees, looking over to Orihime who squeezed his hand affectionately.

The remainder of the meeting was spent listening to the senior Captains relate the various helpful things the Arrancar had done within the past half year with occasional interruptions by Ichigo and Captain Kyouraku to relate the times where Arrancar had saved their life or in the latter's case fooled his superiors by shooting him in the back with a mercifully weak _cero_. The closing statements were made by Yamamoto who relayed the various tests of strength and loyalty of the Arrancar to those present who had all been impressed when they learned that the four single-handedly cleared out _Las Noches _of all the Arrancar that remained fiercely loyal to Aizen. Now that the officers had warmed up to the Arrancar as best as they could for one day, the only thing left to do was to assign them their rank and division.

"Starrk and Lilynette," Yamamoto declared, slightly distraught at their lack of surnames as the smaller of the two helped the former _espada_ stagger to his feet. "You are to be seated as acting Taicho and Fukutaicho of the fifth division, filling the gap left by Sousuke Aizen. What is meant by acting officers is that you will have full command only on the battlefield while the majority of your other duties will be performed by your third and fourth seated officers respectfully. Do you understand the extent of your influence?"

"Yes sir!" Lilynette shouted enthusiastically, admiring her new black attire before turning to face Starrk who was a moment short of falling asleep. "Yezzir," he slurred, bolting upright with a yelp when his other half kicked him in the shin. Everyone in the room half-groaned, half-laughed inwardly at the birth of a new disastrous pairing gracing Seireitei.

"And in the future Starrk-Taicho and Kyouraku-Taicho, may I suggest you engage in such friendly activities during the night," Yamamoto suggested sourly.

"Well you see the thing about that, sir," Captain Ukitake began sheepishly, innocently rubbing the back of his head. "I'm afraid they began last night and carried on until only an hour and a half ago."

Almost everybody rubbed their temples and sighed but no one did it harder than Ise Nanao.

"Nelliel Tu…"

Yamamoto frowned as he looked down at the paper in his hand. After six months, he still hadn't learned how to say her last name.

Sensing her superior's distress, Nel decided to save the elder Captain from embarrassment. "Nelliel or Nel is fine sir, whichever one you prefer," she said sweetly as the Commander coughed softly. "Yes…thank you then Nelliel. You will be acting Taicho of third division, replacing Ichimaru Gin. Are you aware of what it means to be an acting officer?" he asked impassively.

"Yes sir," Nel answered with a small nod, looking over to return the smiles that Orihime and the now normal looking Ichigo were shooting her way, laughing silently at the latter's shredded robes.

"Very well, I expect you to work very closely with Kira-Fukutaicho."

"Yes sir, I will sir."

_Now which one was Kira again…_

"Grimmjow Jeagerjaques."

Ichigo felt like walking out of the room as the focus shifted to his now semi-friendly rival. If there was one thing he had learned about Grimmjow in the six months that he had tested and trained with him it was that he absolutely despised anyone having authority over him.

"Those are some awfully sexy words coming from a guy like you."

He wanted to leave, he really did but Ichigo was too busy laughing to attempt an escape before the Captain-Commander's very short fuse was burnt down completely.

From a spectator's standpoint, Unohana Retsu and Ukitake Juushirou could not help but look at their superior in amazement as his already impressive amount of tolerance that had been exhibited that day grew to be an astounding amount as he simply waited for the laughter about the room to die down before continuing to speak to the azure-haired Arrancar before him.

_Maybe he's just happy about this little peace between shinigami and hollow._

The two senior Captains nodded sagely.

"Grimmjow Jeagerjaques," Yamamoto resumed. "As a reward for your outstanding performance and cooperation during the months spent under my supervision, your request to remain in your current state of dress has been accepted."

Now the two Captains just looked confused as they stared at the Arrancar's bone-white vest and hakama.

"Alright!" Grimmjow interjected, stuffing his hands into his pockets with a wide grin. "I knew you'd come through for me, old man. So what division am I in?" he asked casually, disregarding the long streak of laughing and head shaking going on around him. There was a pause and his smirk could only get wider in anticipation.

"Do to certain events that have transpired earlier today, your initial entry position has been changed."

Soifon could feel all the color drain from her face as the words of her commanding officer hit home and it certainly wasn't being helped by the fact that Yoruichi was barely containing her laughter right beside her. The petite captain could only do her best to refrain from burying her face in her hands and running out of the room before she had a chance to hear what was undoubtedly coming.

"Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, you will be Fukutaicho of second division as well as second in command of the Onmitsukido and Commander of the Patrol Corps. You will be leading elite tactical squads into Hueco Mundo on various missions ranging from simple patrol to diplomacy and assassination. Do you accept your position and vow to fulfill all the duties that it entails?" the Captain-Commander asked sternly, opening his eyes slightly at the electric-blue figure who was now wearing a grin that was bound to make him fast friends with the Captain of the eleventh division.

Soifon who had been, despite her best efforts, listening intently to her superior couldn't help but feel as if she missed something and she'd be damned if it didn't get cleared up immediately.

"Excuse me sir?" she inquired more forcefully than she had meant to, gaining her the immediate attention of all occupants in the chamber. "I'm afraid I didn't hear you say that this Arrancar was an acting officer like the others," Soifon blurted out hurriedly, hoping for a second that she had just missed part of what the Captain-Commander had said.

"That is because he is not an acting officer. He will be Fukutaicho of your division in every sense of the word. Central forty-six has decreed that acting officers will only be necessary for divisions where Arrancar will assume the top rank," Yamamoto answered, the sharpness of his voice cutting through the last shred of hope that Soifon had possessed.

…_You've got to be fucking kidding me!_

Upon hearing this, Grimmjow took the opportunity to properly identify the second person in his life that he'd be serving under. This time however, he really didn't mind. He joined the Gotei Thirteen because it was an outlet for entertainment which had only solidified when he heard what his job would be and how much freedom he would have while he held his office. To say that he was ecstatic was an understatement and one look at his captain had placed the cherry on top of his ever-brightening future.

"You asked me if I accept, old man?" he asked in the most nonchalant voice he could muster, turning the ping-pong match of pupils back in his direction. "With a job where I get to slit people's throats in my homeland and order around a bunch of assassins with a point of a finger and a lady Taicho who's got the guts to get pissed at you, I'd have to be fucking crazy not to go for something like that," Grimmjow half-laughed, turning to look at Soifon who met his glacial eyes with a look as icy as their color.

_Well at least he didn't say…_

"Not to mention, she's pretty easy on the eyes," he added, giving his now infuriated Commander a wink before turning back to Yamamoto who he could swear was on the verge of laughing.

"Very well then," the Captain-Commander stated in finality, his voice resounding off the vaulted ceiling in the meeting hall. "This meeting has been adjourned and let me thank you all for accepting your new officers and finally usher in the age of peace after last winter," the old Captain declared proudly, earning smiles from everyone but Byakuya and Soifon who, for their own reasons, kept a straight face.

"I can't believe this," the second division Captain groaned as everyone passed her to shake hands and exchange words with the Arrancar. "I don't see why it's so bad," a voice behind her chimed, causing her to finally avert her attention to something that didn't fill her with dread…as much. "I like him tons more than your old Fukutaicho," Yoruichi stated matter-of-factly, resting her hand on her protégé's shoulder and forcing her to look into her eyes. "Don't even try to put a handle on him and you'll have fun, trust me. Never a dull moment around him and Ichigo."

Soifon stared blankly at her old mentor, finding it impossible to see why the woman would think for a second that such an undisciplined loose cannon like Grimmjow Jeagerjaques could belong in a stealth force. "And besides," Yoruichi added, snapping her out of her thoughts. "In Grimmjow terms, he's much "easier on the eyes" than that overweight snob you seem to be so attached to."

"I can't believe that bastard said that to me," Soifon sighed in frustration. "All your teasing never prepared me for that kind of mortification, Yoruichi."

The purple-haired goddess chuckled at her successor's expense. "It's all your fault for looking so cute when you get angry…see…just like you are right now." Yoruichi laughed as Soifon angrily stalked away to the side of the room where she had just managed to catch the answer to the question she had earlier about a certain substitute shinigami.

* * *

"The Hougyoku?" Toushiro asked in disbelief as Ichigo and Nel nodded slowly. "Yeah, healthy side-effects of helping hat'n clogs destroy the damn thing," the representative answered gravely. "I took that _Resurreccion_ form twice before I used it though, once in Hueco Mundo and once in the fight against Aizen. Taking that form really pushed my inner-hollow close to taking over so I went down to your favorite candy shop to see what Urahara could do about it."

Toushiro narrowed his eyes at the jab but continued to listen intently along with a few others.

"He basically said we could kill two birds with one stone. I could finally suppress my hollow and he could destroy the Hougyoku. It was pretty easy to do in concept, you basically needed to overload it with reiatsu but the catch was that the people that were pumping their reiatsu into it had to be exposed to its effects. The pieces fell into place pretty easily from there. He asked me if I knew anyone that would have any actual use for it so we went and got Nel exposed to it again which got rid of…this problem she had and so the two of us just blasted the thing to hell in little over two hours."

"So are you really a Vasto Lorde, Ichigo?"

"Hell if I know."

That explanation was enough for Soifon who exited the growing circle of officers that surrounded Ichigo and Nel, making a beeline for the exit to the first division barracks until she was stopped by another booming series of announcements courtesy of the Captain-Commander.

"New officers will find their haori and armbands delivered to their respective offices. All Arrancar forces can be subjected to demonstration of their abilities by their divisions," Yamamoto roared over the assembly, pounding his zanpakuto into the floor. "All promotion ceremonies will be postponed until the Seireitei has been completely informed and come to terms with the integration of Arrancar into our ranks."

Soifon couldn't care less about the swearing in of her new Vice-Captain but the second announcement caused her lips to twist into a smirk.

_So I can test him, huh? Let's see what that bastard's made of._

And with that, the second division Captain flash stepped her way back to her quarters and closed the door firmly behind her with a heavy sigh. She walked through the sparsely furnished hallways with a weighted stride until she entered the conjoined Vice-Captain's accommodations where there were certainly enough needless accessories to make up for the lack of her own.

Once again in the vacant office that produced the first knot in her string of bad luck, Soifon stepped behind the lavish desk and slumped unceremoniously into the chair before opening up a small drawer near the bottom where her eyes were greeted by a rainbow of differently colored bottles and glasses.

As one could tell by her petite frame, Soifon wouldn't hold out nearly as long as someone like Shunsui Kyouraku or the _primera_ that he was getting along so famously with. Her eyes darted from the bottle she had selected to the group of glasses in the drawer several times before shrugging and taking a mouthful of sake straight from the bottle.

"Is it really that bad, Shaolin?" Yoruichi called from the doorway, her smirk unfaltering as Soifon shot her a weak glare. The goddess walked over to her friend with refined grace and gently plucked the bottle from her fingers before sitting down atop the desk with her legs crossed and her face uncomfortably close to the other woman. "Yes it's really that bad, Yoruichi," Soifon growled, tilting her head slightly away from the former Captain and looking at her crossly. "He's an Arrancar plus he's a cocky bastard," she added with a snarl, frowning when a dark hand prevented her from grasping another jug of sake. "So?"

Yoruichi looked at her friend and sighed when the angry shimmer in her eyes refused to subside. "Times are changing, Soifon. The old man knows it and you should too, they aren't our enemies anymore and Grimmjow especially never really was in the first place," she asserted in a tone that was well outside her usual demeanor. "That so-called "outstanding cooperation" Yama mentioned was just him being who he is."

Soifon tilted her eyes upwards in curiosity. "And who exactly is my new second in command?" she asked cynically, watching as Yoruichi's playful smile returned. "The thing you have to understand about Grimmjow is that he's a free agent like Ichigo. The only reason he joined up with Aizen was because he was a man that could give him power and opportunities to use it that he wouldn't have on his own. He never had anything against shinigami except maybe Ichigo but that was only because he pissed him off."

Soifon chuckled lightly, closing the liquor drawer and motioning for Yoruichi to continue.

"I'll tell you the truth though; he wasn't exactly jumping at the possibility to join up in the divisions but it grew on him. He cut a deal with the old man and the other senior Captains basically saying that in return for the basic necessities and freedoms as well as some good fights, he'd give his strength to Soul Society to be used any way they wanted it so long as he could be a free spirit and that just seemed more than acceptable to them. Not only could he fill in a hole in the ranks but he could be a deniable asset, you see. Out of the four of them, I think you got the best one…and I believe I already mentioned his looks."

Soifon shook her head with a laugh, her frustration slowly draining away with the aid of the dark-skinned woman in front of her. "Just tell me that he can do his job properly and maybe I'll let him stick around enough to give myself a chance to see why exactly you have so much faith in these Arrancar," she muttered as she smoothed out her haori.

"See for yourself," Yoruichi began, "I scheduled your favorite exercise an hour and a half from now in the outskirts of the Zaraki district."

"I hope it's something fun."

As if on cue, Grimmjow ambled into the office with a smirk on his face and his hands in his pockets, breaking the now silent ambience with the swishing of his hakama. His Vice-Captain band was wrapped firmly around his left arm, matching the stark white of his high-collared vest which rustled slightly as he approached his new desk, studying the activity that was playing out across it.

"Two beautiful women and a bottle of sake, huh?" he questioned with mock naiveté, meeting the rekindled eyes of his superior. "I was planning on celebrating tonight but we can do it right now if you ladies want to." Breaking his gaze away from his infuriated Captain and ignoring the barely contained snickers coming from Yoruichi, he strolled around the room and inspected the décor. "There sure is a lot of purple shit around here," he commented absent-mindedly as he peeked into the adjacent lounge before returning his eyes squarely onto Soifon. "You know it's going to stain easily."

Yoruichi took one look at the woman next to her and rolled onto the floor laughing as Soifon stood from her chair, positively fuming and glaring daggers at the frost-haired _espada_ before her. "I don't know what delusions the other Captains have given you," she seethed, growing even more annoyed at the unwavering cocky smirk being shot her way. "But while you are under my command, you _will_ address me properly as a subordinate and fall in line before I have to remove one of your limbs, Jeagerjaques-Fukutaicho."

Grimmjow looked at his Captain with a studious expression before his smirk grew into a lethal grin with a single ivory canine poking out the corner of his mouth. "Call me Grimmjow, lady Taicho. It's easier on the lips," he cracked before moving his teal eyes down to a still-struggling Yoruichi. "Hey cat lady, you were wrong about her being cute when she's angry." He paused as the goddess righted herself and snickered at the veins that threatened to become visible on Soifon's forehead. "What would you call it then," she quipped.

"I'd say it's a hell of a lot more sexy than it is cute…ah well I guess that look means I'm not getting a welcome party, damn."

A knock at the door was the only thing preventing Suzumebachi from reaching the Arrancar's throat as he walked over to the door to find two black folders bearing the Onmitsukido emblem resting halfway through the shoji doors. He bent down and looked at the files quizzically for a moment before picking them up, walking past Soifon who was trying her hardest not to murder her new officer, and sat down at his desk before looking one over while Yoruichi looked over his shoulder.

"Oh good, that's the information for your training exercise," she cooed, giggling at the click of a sword sliding back into its sheath coming from Soifon who closed her eyes and let out a long breath. "It doesn't say anything about what I have to do, just where and when I'm going," Grimmjow muttered in confusion with a slight frown which only deepened when he saw that his Captain was now wearing a sadistic smile. "It's a secret," Yoruichi jeered, adorning a much more attractive look on her face than her counterpart. "Now take a look at the other folder."

Grimmjow tossed the file containing his mission onto his desk and peeled the other portfolio open, his trademark smirk quickly returning much to the disturbance of Soifon who walked over and attempted to look at the document her Vice-Captain was reading only to have him lean the folder away from her vision. "I never would've guessed you were bisexual," he commented casually, causing his Captain's eye to twitch involuntarily before she snatched away the file and scanned its contents with a horrified expression.

_Yo Grimm, just thought I'd share some information with you about your new Captain. Don't let her fool you when you first see her, she can be a big softie sometimes. Anyways, here's a list of things that I know about her as well as several educated guesses I've made over the years, you know like fetishes and her favori-_

"Yoruichi, what the fuck is this!" Soifon screamed, slamming the folder onto the desk and letting her eyes smolder from blue hair to purple and back again. "Ah well, I just thought since I was telling you so much about him, it was only fair that he get to know about you," Yoruichi explained, closing her eyes and waving her hands innocently in front of her which didn't do much to stop Suzumebachi from leaving its sheath completely this time.

"I think it's time to run, cat lady," Grimmjow remarked with a laugh as he sprung up from his chair.

All that could be heard was a buzz of static accompanied by the sound of wind as someone yelled, "See you in Zaraki Shaolin-Taicho!"

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: So how'd I do? Good, bad, better than sex? Keep in mind that this chapter was just to set everything up so from here on out, now that the setting is done, I can have some fun with this story. Sorry for making events happen like they were in Dragon Ball Z time.

**Don't forget to review on your way out!**

**Also pointing out spelling and grammar errors helps.**

Ah, and one more thing I almost forgot to say. Reading the other Grimm/Soi fics is what got me into this, they're all great stories so check them out. But what I really want to say is that if you notice any blatant similarities between this story and another with the pairing then I assure you absolutely that it is completely unintentional.


	2. Warm Ups

**Notice: This chapter is going up raw so there might be a few spelling and grammatical errors. Please tell me if you see anything significant.**

**Kawaii: Thank you very much, my updates should be anywhere from 1-4 days apart.**

**Amaki-san: Thanks, I was worried about the beginning because I was just racing to a point in the story where I could have fun. And yes, I'm channeling my own shamelessness into Grimmjow.**

**Artemis: Glad to hear it. Yeah, I knew the similarities would be there but I'm trying my damnedest to be at least moderately original. **

* * *

The late afternoon sun hung low over the final district of the northern alley of Rukongai, painting the sky with streaks of violet and crimson. Cool winds pierced through the twilight, sounding off the sun's departure with a refreshing reprieve from the summer heat.

Grimmjow stood with his hands in his pockets in the center of a large clearing, intently observing the forest around him, the scent of arbor tickling his nose and the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze washing over his ears. This was where his senses came alive, where he felt at home, immersed in the dusky woodland ambience. But despite how much he was admiring the scenery, Grimmjow's anticipation was quickly turning into aggravation as the sun began to dip below the horizon.

His Captain and her mentor waited patiently in front him and his audience consisting of Ichigo, Orihime, and Nel conversed quietly behind him, sitting on a fallen tree. The three were admiring the new Captain's haori that hung loosely over Nel's shinigami robes, congratulating her and wishing her success as the third division's new commander. They stopped and frowned when Grimmjow trudged quickly over to his superior, giving off a strong aura of annoyance.

"How much longer am I supposed to stand here," the former _sexta espada _snarled at the two women standing with their arms crossed before him, receiving only weary glares as an answer. "They should be ready soon," Yoruichi murmured, "In the meantime, I guess we should tell you about this exercise." She looked over to Soifon who nodded in agreement. "This is the Onmitsukido's highest exam. It's used to determine the skill in both the fields of stealth reconnaissance and combat ability for officers promoted to a fifth seat position and above," the petite Captain explained coolly, holding back a small smile. "And it's my personal favorite to watch."

Before Grimmjow could open his mouth to curses at his superior for being so cryptic, Yoruichi motioned for him to bite his tongue. "Seven white flags with the Onmitsukido emblem are hidden in the surrounding forest," she began, effectively silencing the Arrancar. "Your mission is to recover these flags and bring them back to us but," she held up her finger, emphasizing the oncoming catch. "Thirty of second division's most skilled warriors are waiting in the trees with reiatsu-shielding devices and they will be doing everything in their power to stop you which includes removing your head."

Grimmjow grinned as Yoruichi continued briefing him of his mission, cracking his knuckles in excitement. "You however, are not authorized to use lethal force or grievously injure our operatives. Doing so will result in the loss of your rank," the goddess concluded with a matching smirk.

"Well damn, I would've been a lot more patient if you told me I was going to be running around and beating up a bunch of weaklings," the blue-haired Arrancar laughed, causing Soifon to meet his eyes with a glacial stare. "I'm waiting to see how well you blend into your surroundings with that hair and outfit you have, Jeagerjaques-Fukutaicho," she chided blandly, letting a ghost of a smile creep up on her lips as her comment reached the desired effect.

"Don't underestimate me, Shaolin-Taicho," Grimmjow growled, "I really fucking hate it when people do that and call me Grimmjow, damn it. Plus you're one talk with those rings on your hair, that's almost as bad as that guy with bells on his fucking head," he added in a low tone. Now it was Soifon's turn to let her cool demeanor break at the mention of her birth name, feeling her face growing hot. "If you value your tongue then you'll regard me with the proper designation," she seethed, much to the amusement of her Vice-Captain who shot her a toothy smirk. "Care to make this interesting then," he suggested slyly.

"How do you mean?" Soifon asked hesitantly, letting her curiosity diffuse her chagrin.

"If I get those flags in less than twenty minutes then we're on a first name basis," Grimmjow clarified smugly, eliciting a snicker from Yoruichi. "And what happens if you fail," Soifon asked sharply, getting into the gambler's spirit. "Then I'll do anything you want," the Vice-Captain replied suggestively, leaning closer to his superior. "Do the laundry for the entire division?" the Captain asserted in disbelief.

"Anything," Grimmjow repeated.

"In a dress?"

"If that's what turns you on."

Soifon sighed and stuck out her arm with a hard gaze directed towards her Arrancar subordinate who clasped her hand firmly and grinned triumphantly.

After solidifying their wager, a stealth operative appeared next to his Captain with the usual gusty sound of shunpo. "Everything is in position," he informed her before vanishing into the treeline once Soifon had nodded in confirmation. She then turned back to Grimmjow and frowned at the degree of confidence he was exerting. Unlike the will to win that people like Kurosaki Ichigo exhibited, the Arrancar in front of her looked as if he knew he was going to succeed.

"You know neither of us did this in under twenty minutes," Yoruichi stated sardonically, breaking her protégé's gaze away from her Vice-Captain. "Well there's a first time for everything, cat lady," Grimmjow scoffed, removing his hands from his pockets and cracking his neck. "If you say so," the dark-skinned woman countered with a chuckle. "I'll be timing you on my phone."

"You may use any non-lethal techniques so long as my operatives will recover fully," Soifon announced, raising her eyebrows when Grimmjow unsheathed his sword. "Then this shouldn't take too long," He declared arrogantly, looking over to Yoruichi who was shaking her head and laughing at Soifon's ignorance.

_Sorry but you just lost the bet right there, Shaolin._

Grimmjow raked his fingers across his weapon, causing the blade to glow with an ethereal blue light.

"Grind…_Pantera_."

Soifon's eyes widened as an explosion of azure reiatsu blasted upwards from her Vice-Captain, causing supernatural winds to gust through the surrounding forest. Bony white armor snaked its way up from Grimmjow's hands and feet once his sword vanished from sight, forming large blades at the top of his forearms and calves. The jade markings under his eyes extended to his now feline ears, decorated with an ivory crown stretching across his forehead under his lengthened hair.

Once his _resurreccion _was complete, he turned to Soifon and gave her a feral grin, baring his elongated teeth. "Ready when you are, Shaolin-Taicho," he announced with a smug edge to his voice, flexing his claws in apprehension.

"I hope you're prepared for-"

Soifon felt a bead of sweat run down the side of her head as Grimmjow's face met the ground, cutting his sentence short. There pinning his back with her knees was Nel who along with Yoruichi and Orihime was assaulting his ears with playful strokes and giggling as he wrestled in vain under the force of the Arrancar on top of him.

"What…the…hell?" Soifon muttered in bewilderment, staring wide-eyed as her fearsome Vice-Captain was no longer struggling as hard and emitting a throaty purring sound from deep within his chest.

"They've been doing this every time he releases ever since Yoruichi-san found out that he can't resist it," Ichigo explained sourly as he sidled over to the distraught Captain. "At least Unohana-san isn't here, then we'd be waiting for hours."

Ignoring the half-formulated words escaping the woman next to him, Ichigo walked to the scene playing out in the center of the clearing and gazed sympathetically at the victimized Grimmjow who was screaming muffled sounds in protest. "Alright, that's enough," he snickered, placing a hand on Orihime's shoulder. "Let the poor bastard breathe, we're burning daylight here."

All three women looked at him and pouted, making the substitute shinigami's mouth dry up. "Just a little longer, Ichigo-kun," Orihime whined, pushing out her bottom lip slightly.

"Sorry Hime but he's got work to do and we need to be getting home soon. It's almost dinner time," Ichigo stated sternly, helping his girlfriend to her feet and motioning for Nel to step off of Grimmjow's back.

The former _tercera espada _grudgingly moved over with a disappointed sigh which prompted Grimmjow to jump to his feet and immediately bombard everyone in the vicinity with a long string of inventive curses before turning to glare daggers at Orihime.

"Alright woman," he snarled, "I think that just about repays you for unfucking me with your voodoo back in _Las Noches._"

And with that, the infuriated Arrancar walked over to his Captain and stared at her with a mix of anger and determination gleaming in his eyes. "Let's hurry up and get started," Grimmjow growled.

…_Its kind of hard to take him seriously after that._

"Very well," Soifon stated casually, trying hard to keep her mirth from escaping into her words. "Start on my command, Jeagerjaques-Taicho."

Seeing what was about to happen, Yoruichi strode over to the pair and flipped out her cell phone, quickly programming a timer for twenty minutes. "Waiting on you, Soifon," she declared while simultaneously reaching for one of Grimmjow's ears only to have it batted away fiercely in addition to receiving several threats.

"You may begin," Soifon commanded, opening her mouth to get in one last comment but was rudely interrupted by a burst of static as Grimmjow appeared at the edge of the forest and unleashed a blast of reiatsu so massive that it shook the trees around him loose from their roots. Much to the renewed amusement of the Arrancar, a stealth operative fell from the canopy and rolled about, wheezing on the ground before Grimmjow silenced him with a brutal kick to his skull.

Everyone back in the clearing winced as the blue-haired Vice-Captain began to pummel the unconscious man with his fists, yelling something about disrespectful women and people that take advantage of men while they're down before tossing the bruised and bloodied body through the treeline which landed in a crumpled heap at Yoruichi's feet.

"Uh…Orihime-chan…"

"I'm on it!"

* * *

Several minutes later, Grimmjow stood atop a large rock face with his hands hanging loosely at his side and three white flags bearing the Onmitsukido emblem tied around the blades adorning his arms. "Makin' good time," he muttered to himself as he kicked over a small boulder to reveal another banner buried beneath it.

_I've lived in the wilderness long enough to realize when something's out of place with its surroundings._

Upon fitting the new addition in with the others with a firm knot, the Arrancar could hear several footsteps in the distance along the edge of the cliff but instead of engaging the oncoming threat, he merely sat down with his jaw resting on his hand and enjoyed the view from above the forest.

The wind blew his hair gently to the side as he studied the moon ascending from below the horizon. Twilight was setting in, bringing an end to the sweltering heat and replacing it with a cool night atmosphere that was slowly immersing the woodlands around Grimmjow in a dark veil. His eyes lingered on the moon however, its crescent form looming over the deep indigo clouds and the dappled streaks of red that burned defiantly across the nightfall.

_It's nice here…I can see why they wanted to protect this place so badly…a world of light._

His thoughts didn't falter when a blade weaved its way through his arms and pressed cold steel against his neck before scraping across the sensitive flesh. "What a bunch of idiots," Grimmjow mumbled, climbing to his feet and turning around to face a trio of stealth operatives whose eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "These ears aren't just for show," he scolded, wagging his finger mockingly towards the man that had attempted to slit his throat. "And what the fuck is wrong with you? Trying to get through my hierro without even a shikai?"

"It really pisses me off when people underestimate me."

Before he was able to comprehend what the Arrancar had just spoken, the failed assassin made acquaintances with the rock beneath his feet and slipped into unconsciousness.

Grimmjow held back a laugh, trying to interpret the facial expressions hiding beneath the silken masks of the other two combatants. A pregnant moment passed before one of the warriors charged at him blindly with shunpo only to have his sword hiss the through the air and catch a knee embedded into his chest. Doubling over in pain, the man could only watch through hazy vision as the former _espada_ approached his only comrade still on his feet and delivered a ferocious hook to his jaw, sending a loud crunch resounding through the forest below.

_By my count, it's been about eleven minutes. No more sightseeing._

Spitting to the side in finality, Grimmjow descended back into the treeline and headed off into a portion of the woods that he had yet to search for any of the three remaining flags. He soon found his way alongside a small stream and despite his earlier thought; he slowed his pace slightly to watch a mottled leaf drift serenely down the current. Teal eyes followed the stray piece of foliage until it snagged on a low-hanging branch just alongside a white cloth.

Grinning at his fortune, he leapt gracefully across the water and claimed his prize before heading off parallel to the stream but not before putting a pair of assassins to sleep on the riverbank, figuring that his division wouldn't have planted two flags along the same landmark.

Shadows lengthened all around the forest as Grimmjow's previous luck showed no signs of continuing. His normally relaxed state was wavering as the evening progressed, shuddering at the thought of what would happen if he failed to recover all the flags in time. He soon reached a small precipice carved into the ground from a battle fought long ago, stopping to kick a rock off one of the jagged edges before hopping across the fissure and entering a denser part of the arbor.

After examining his surroundings, Grimmjow stumbled upon a fresh footprint encased in the dirt along the forest floor. He streaked his vision upwards in the direction of the impression and came across an ancient oak that was far larger than any other tree in the immediate vicinity. Approaching the mammoth timber, the Arrancar noticed that several of its roots had grown straight outwards from the trunk and extended several feet before digging into the earth, creating a small grotto beneath them.

Grimmjow bent to his knees and panned across the cavity, spying a dirtied piece of white fabric tagged to a small root. He motioned to reach into the den but decades of time spent hunting in the dismal gloom of the Menos Forest allowed him to spot a thin wire spread across the area in front of the flag. Quickly deciding that nothing good would come across tripping the obvious trap, he grasped a nearby twig and snagged it on the cloth from above the wire, tugging it free from its restraints and into his waiting hand.

_Three minutes left…plenty of time to wrap this up._

Taking off into the trees, the Vice-Captain traveled agilely from branch to branch in search of the final banner, heading through the unfamiliar terrain in the direction of the clearing where his Captain was waiting. No sooner than the image of Soifon's shocked expression entered his mind did he land atop a high branch with feline elegance and let a victorious smile play across his face.

There at the edge of the branch, sat an abandoned bird's nest with a flag nestled gently within its structure.

Chuckling as he crept on all fours towards his goal, Grimmjow could only watch as a man clothed in the uniform of the stealth force plucked the piece of cloth from its resting place and vanished in a flash of shunpo. His eye twitched as his brain failed to process what had just occurred; some low-rank shinigami thought he could get in the way of winning his bet? Not if he had anything to say about it, which he quickly did.

"Motherfucker!" The blue-haired Arrancar shouted after the assassin, causing waves of sonic pressure to blast into the thief and send him rocketing into the ground where he looked up to see a very agitated Grimmjow, feeling his eyes widen as the usual smirk was nowhere to be seen.

"Bastard," the Vice-Captain growled, "saw what happened to your comrades and decided you could kill two birds by taking off with that flag and running? What the hell kind of man are you?"

Without further criticism, Grimmjow decided to indulge in a few "stress-relieving" activities with the help of the black-clothed operative before prying the final flag from his loose grip.

* * *

Back in the clearing, Soifon was having a difficult time preventing her cool visage from being shattered as pictures of her new officer folding robes while wearing a pink dress danced across her eyes. She let out a long string of giggles as the thought proved to be too much.

Playing witness to her former student's loss of composure, Yoruichi could only raise her eyebrows while she moved her way over to the target of her confusion. "First you're screaming at the top of your lungs, then you don't react to seeing me naked, and now you're tittering like a schoolgirl," she started, earning her a feeble scowl from her protégé before she succumbed once more to a fit of laughter. "You've finally grown up, Shaolin!"

Ignoring Soifon's now stronger glare, Yoruichi flipped open her phone and looked at the screen with a blank expression. "Forty-five seconds left!" she announced loud enough so that the four others in the clearing could hear.

"Do you think he'll win, Nel-san?" Orihime asked the Arrancar Captain beside her but before she could receive a proper answer, Ichigo decided to speak for her. "We can only hope he does or we'll have to get out of here before he destroys the whole district," he muttered acrimoniously, gaining a nod in agreement from Nel and a worried expression from his girlfriend. Upon seeing this, the substitute shinigami clasped her hand and gave her a warm smile. "Don't worry about it, Hime. If he doesn't get back in time then I'll let him win a fight against me, that'll put him in a good mood."

The trio snickered darkly as Yoruichi's voice alerted them to the countdown.

"Ten…Nine…Eight…"

Soifon's smile threatened to surpass the limitations of her muscle structure as it seemed that victory was falling neatly into her hands.

"Seven…Six-"

The sound of the fabric of space tearing in front of the two women put an end to the countdown as a thin black line cut through the twilight, stretching the boundaries of reality to reveal Grimmjow who stepped out of the _garganta _and into the clearing, clutching a mass of white cloths.

"Yo…Shaolin."

Soifon couldn't believe her eyes as the portal closed behind her Vice-Captain, burying her face in her hands as the spectators behind her rushed up to meet the smirking Arrancar.

"Got all seven?" Yoruichi asked casually, bursting into laughter as Grimmjow dropped the flags in his hand one by one to the ground, causing Soifon's face to fall further and further as each one went by. "I don't believe this," she groaned, rubbing her temple in a futile attempt to ward off an oncoming headache. "And who said you could call me by my birth name?" She yelled defiantly, hoping to retain at least a semblance of her pride while five pairs of eyes turned to meet her.

"But I like Shaolin better," Grimmjow began, turning to face Yoruichi who was failing miserably at concealing her amusement. "Plus I think Soifon doesn't sound nearly as sexy as Shaolin. What about you," he asked the goddess, letting the second name roll huskily from his tongue.

"Definitely Shaolin."

_Damn you, Yoruichi._

"You shouldn't be so ashamed about your name anyway," Grimmjow murmured, brushing an imaginary piece of dirt from his shoulder, refusing to meet the surprised gaze of his Captain. "Not like it's a bad name so let me tell you this as one person with an unusual name to another," he stated with a serious edge to his playful voice, locking blue eyes with black. "Regardless of where that alias of yours came from, it's not right to give up the name you were born with; doesn't matter if you like it or not. I can tell a woman like you has a sense of honor even if you are an assassin so why don't you fucking honor the people that gave you that name instead of bitching every time you hear it?"

Soifon could do nothing else but stare in stupor at her Vice-Captain as Yoruichi mouthed a 'wow' with wide eyes while the others nodded solemnly.

"Judging by that look you're givin' me, seems like no one's kicked you into line recently," Grimmjow chided as he bent down mockingly to follow his Captain's eyes which had been lowered to the ground, smirking as the familiar fire began to burn behind them. "That's it, Shaolin. Keep those eyes and don't take shit from anyone because I'm not going to serve under a woman who isn't strong in her mind, heart, and body. Got it?" He asked with a predatory grin, stretching himself upright once more.

The clearing was silent as the meaning of his words set in. Strength to him was the universally definable element that was responsible for the way the world revolved, it was the force that forged destinies, the force that determined who deserved to be king and who deserved to be food.

"Grimmjow…" Soifon started, her voice cold and unreadable.

"Huh?"

"Why should I listen to a fucking word you say?"

The Vice-Captain howled with laughter as several people looked on in confusion. "That's what I wanna hear," he cackled. "Now don't ever let me catch you with that pathetic look in your eyes ever again or I'll have to knock some sense into you."

"I'd like to see you try," Soifon seethed, letting her angry façade cover up the small amount of gratitude she harbored for the Arrancar. "That's right, Shaolin. Stay sexy like that and we won't have a problem," Grimmjow said in conclusion.

Soifon's face grew hot at his final statement and it troubled her greatly that she wasn't entirely sure that it was from vexation. Relief washed over her once she saw that everyone seemingly failed to notice whatever feeling had manifested itself visibly, observing quietly as her new subordinate broke his electric blue gaze away from her and turned to face Ichigo.

"Told you he was better than your old Fukutaicho," Yoruichi whispered into her ear, this time causing her face to flush with something that was clearly not anger.

"Hey Ichigo," Grimmjow called over to the substitute shinigami, catching a second pair of eyes with his in a row. "You still up for a quick match? Those guys I fought couldn't even cut me."

Upon hearing this, Ichigo turned to Orihime who looked up at him with a smile. "Go ahead, Ichigo-kun. We still have a little bit of time before we're due back home," she said reassuringly, erupting into a rosy blush when she received a short kiss on the lips. "You're the best, Hime. It'll just be a sparring match so it should be over soon enough."

Orihime nodded and shot her boyfriend a victory sign before he and Grimmjow took off high above the forest, soon to be joined by Nel and Yoruichi who had also brought up her successor to join the two as they watched from a safe distance.

"Jumping right in with your _resurreccion_, huh?" Ichigo yelled over to his sparring partner, releasing Zangetsu from its bandages and bringing it around in a combat stance. "Don't fuck around," Grimmjow started, "We both know that our powers are closest at their peaks so hurry up and do your things, I need to see how we compare now after I've earned the right to heal that scar on my chest many times over."

"Still a cocky bastard," the orange-haired representative muttered while simultaneously sliding his hollow mask into place, commencing the transformation into his alternate form. "Got every right to be," the Arrancar retorted. "After all, while you've been spending time in school and with your woman, training only enough to keep your skills as they were six months ago, I've been getting better; much better, Ichigo."

An explosion of black reiatsu signaled the completion of the hollowfication, dissipating into a fine mist and revealing the monstrous figure beneath.

"Then we'll just have to put you to the test then," Ichigo stated in his heavily distorted voice. "Bankai!"

A second, less menacing wave of reiatsu rippled through the cool night air, sending a twister of energy revolving around the skull-faced hollow.

Tensa Zangetsu gleamed in the moonlight as Ichigo held it high above his head before bringing it down in a vertical stroke that sent a wave of sword pressure speeding towards Grimmjow. The attack only diffused harmlessly in the distance, serving only to commence the match between the two hybrids.

"See, what'd I say?" Grimmjow inquired rhetorically, bending his body under a strong horizontal swing and landing a powerful kick to the side of Ichigo's head. "You're still the same as you were back then," he continued as he narrowly missed the side of his opponent's neck with one of the blades on his forearms, using the momentum from the attack to plant his hands on Ichigo's shoulder and vault over the knee that had been aimed straight at his chest. "But I guess since this is only a sparring match, I can't really see how good you are."

"I'll give you a hint of what it'd be like if we were really going at it," the demonic hollow mumbled sinisterly, cutting his left hand with his sword and grasping both of his horns, staining them crimson and effectively ending his rival's gloating. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," Grimmjow cursed under his breath, watching as violet energy swirled into a dense vortex in front of Ichigo's face. "Who taught you how to do that?!"

"_Gran Rey Cero_."

The forest around the two combatants was illuminated in bright lavender as a colossal blast erupted from the space between Ichigo's horns, warping space and dimension, producing a spiraling effect while it raced towards its target.

Thinking quickly, Grimmjow clenched his clawed hands into fists and fired a pair of _bala _at the edge of the gigantic discharge, providing an opening for him to dodge the oncoming attack. He felt an otherworldly heat envelop his body as the violet burst of energy passed him by and sailed into the sky; whistling in admiration and watching it burn through the atmosphere.

"Well at least you learned something while you weren't down below the candy store with the rest of us," he shouted appraisingly while his hand began to glow a deep scarlet. "But you know damn well that nobody except Starrk has more skill with using _cero_ than me." With a feral grin, Grimmjow released the reiatsu in his hand and vanished in a sound of static, reappearing behind Ichigo and locking his arms around his elbows, binding him in place.

"Huh, well I didn't expect this to go off as well as it did. Have you gotten slower?"

"Nah, I just let you grab me."

Ichigo opened his mouth wide, revealing jagged rows of sharp teeth as the _cero _was sucked into his waiting maw. "Oh fuck me," Grimmjow muttered from his opponent's back, breaking the hold and using sonido to give himself some distance before the inevitable backfire of his attack. "Nelliel, I'll fucking kill you if this injures me," he hollered over to the Arrancar Captain who was looking off into the stars and digging her foot nonchalantly into the air.

_Damn him, he was training after all._

For the second time in sixty seconds, the Vice-Captain found himself staring down the middle of a monstrous violet attack but this time. He gave himself an edge by using his improved speed to agilely maneuver away from the _cero_ and put himself face to face with Ichigo before landing a solid uppercut to his jaw. "You bastard," he snickered, gritting his fangs as a lightning fast slash from Tensa Zangetsu made a shallow laceration along his arm.

Foregoing all concern about each other's safety, the two began to trade blows, sacrificing defense to deliver more powerful strikes. As the fight drove on, Grimmjow's speed was proving to be a challenge against Ichigo, nimbly side-stepping the majority of his strikes and using an unarmed fighting style that left very little unnecessary movement.

"I'll admit, you have gotten better," the substitute shinigami acknowledged, annoyed that his prized speed had been outdone. "But I'm still stronger," he growled, grinning beneath his mask when Grimmjow ducked beneath a diagonal slice where he proceeded to have a clawed foot land sharply in his side, courtesy of the self-proclaimed Vasto Lorde. "And you're getting predictable."

The two rivals shot each other a battle-hungry grin before flaring up their reiatsu and launching into what would have been a cataclysmic attack had they not been interrupted.

"Draw!"

Everyone in the air looked down to see Orihime who was waving them all down with erratic hand gestures. "We need to hurry or we'll be late to dinner, Ichigo-kun!" She yelled, causing a bead of sweat to drop from everyone but the shinigami representative.

Grimmjow let his reiatsu die down and looked over to Ichigo who merely shrugged an apology and let his mask fall away from his face, revealing a pair of brown eyes which glowered at the Arrancar when he imitated the sound of a whip cracking. "Sorry but we're due back with my old man soon," he grumbled, descending back down into the clearing with the others following behind him.

"So many injuries," Orihime commented in a scolding tone after examining the pair of hybrids once they had touched down, motioning for them to sit down and frowning when Grimmjow refused. "No thanks, woman. I'm not owing you another favor over a couple of cuts and bruises," he remarked in a low tone, letting his bony armor recede back into his skin and sliding _Pantera_ into its sheath.

"Please," the auburn-haired healer pouted, stamping a foot into the ground. "All I'll ask is for you to open a _garganta_ for us to Urahara-san's store."

After considering what little effort it would take to pay off his debt, Grimmjow sighed and sat down next to Ichigo with his hands in his pockets, observing as a dome of healing orange light enveloped them both. The process was over soon enough and the Vice-Captain poured reiatsu into his index finger before jabbing it into empty air where a black line formed and tore into a geometric gap in reality.

Nel and Yoruichi said their farewells to the departing couple while Grimmjow gave only a haphazard wave and Soifon a curt nod. When all was said and done, the four regrouped in the center of the clearing and planned their next action.

"Nelliel-Taicho, was it?" Soifon asked the female Arrancar beside her, receiving a nod in confirmation. "If you're not too busy when we return to Seireitei, could you please alert fourth division that there are injured members of the Onmitsukido in the northern outskirts of the Zaraki district?"

"Ah, sure thing. I was planning on seeing Unohana-san before meeting Kira-kun anyway," Nel explained, smiling when Soifon gave her a small 'thanks' "Well…wouldn't want to keep them waiting, guess I'll be going then. Goodnight," she said after a small silence, opening a _garganta_ leading to the fourth division's barracks. "Later," muttered Grimmjow as Yoruichi wished the Arrancar Captain a good night and Soifon merely waved.

Once Nel had vanished, Grimmjow found himself the focus of attention. "We all headin' back to second division?" He asked wearily, wasting no time to open a portal out in front of his office after he had received positive confirmation from the two women.

* * *

Stepping out of the _garganta_, Grimmjow and Soifon immediately made a beeline for the entrance to the conjoined Captain's and Vice-Captain's quarters, the latter stopping to turn around and face Yoruichi with a questioning expression as the Arrancar slid open the doors. "You're not going back to the human world?" She inquired, frowning when the goddess walked past her and entered the office and sat down on a large armchair next to Grimmjow, crossing her legs. "Of course not," she announced, clearly amusing her blue-haired companion as Soifon's annoyance became painfully visible on her face. "This place has too much fun stuff going on right now for me to ignore it so I'll be staying for a while."

An uncomfortable silence overtook the room, only to be broken as Soifon slid the shoji doors shut and resume once she had approached the other two near the middle of the office. "This isn't a hotel," she hissed, staring crossly at her friend who was busy examining her nails. "I hardly think that one black cat on a couch in the lounge is going to disrupt your work environment," Yoruichi countered sarcastically. "Or do you just want to be alone with your Fukutaicho to yourself?" She mused provocatively, moving her head to dodge a half-hearted punch from her petite student.

"Take it easy, Shaolin. She can sleep in my room," Grimmjow suggested coolly, cracking a smirk when Soifon shot him a venomous glare and Yoruichi giggled before flatly refusing. "Suit yourself but my doors always open for either…or both of you lovely ladies if you ever find yourselves a little cold after dark," he added slyly with raised eyebrows.

"I'll keep that in mind"

"Go to hell."

The Arrancar snickered softly to himself before moving towards the door leading to his accommodations. "Ah well, don't be strangers," he started, ignoring the differing reactions between the two assassins. "Guess I'll see if my stuff's been delivered and get washed up then."

"A shower sounds great right now," Soifon admitted, setting off towards her own lodgings, wincing at her own stupidity for declaring her intentions in the vicinity of the two most perverse people on her list of acquaintances. "Well hey, Shaolin. You know we could conserve water by-"

"Shut it, Grimmjow."

The Vice-Captain in question stuffed his hands in his pockets, watching his superior disappear behind a set of slamming doors in the midst of Yoruichi's laughter. A moment passed until he shrugged and moved his gaze to a head of purple hair. "You know what they say? Try, try again. Eh, well I'll be back in a bit so get out some sake or tempura or something."

"I like the way you think, Grimm. I'll have some dinner fetched for us by the time you two get back."

"If you liked the way I think then you'd be bent over that desk right now."

Closing the door behind him to suppress Yoruichi's howling laughter; Grimmjow studied his bedchamber for the first time with wide eyes. "This is fucking horrible," he whispered to himself, looking around the room with a frightened expression. His eyes trailed across dozens of purple silk sheets hanging from the walls, matching the violet cloths hanging down from an oversized canopy bed where dozens of various-sized pillows of the same color were positioned atop satin linens.

_What kind of person would decorate their room like this?_

Without further thought, the horrified Arrancar opened a window on the far side of the room and began hurling every object he deemed unacceptable out for Seireitei to deal with on its own accord. Several minutes later, he admired his handiwork. The walls were now bare, revealing wooden panels and the room itself was much more spacious now that many of the articles of furniture were now out on the street. The bed had been stripped down only to a single white sheet and two pillows that had been removed from their cases.

_Shaolin's probably going to bitch at me for this._

Grimmjow quickly decided that he had made the better choice however; sleeping on a bed like that was certainly not an option as long as he had even the smallest fraction of pride left in him.

Now that his room met minimal standards, he approached his bags which had been seated on the floor near the entrance of the room. Opting to only deal with a medium sized duffel bag for the time being, Grimmjow unzipped it to reveal several white jackets and hakama that he had looted from his quarters in _Las Noches_ and laid an outfit out for himself on his bed.

After shoving his belongings unceremoniously in a nearby closet, he moved towards the only door he hadn't opened yet, the bathroom. Grimmjow prepared himself for the worst and eased open the door. He was pleasantly surprised to find a normal looking bathroom, whoever had used it before him had most likely taken everything with them. The room was tiled white with dark blue floral patterns, stretching from the floor to halfway around the wall near the shower and bath.

_This is pretty modern; I thought I'd only get a bucket and a hole._

Putting the toilet seat down which had, much to his annoyance, been left up, he examined the various things around the room. There was a large circular wooden bath with a rack on the wall next to it containing many differently scented soaps and oils and a shower to the right of it with only a thick pane of warped glass to hide the users modesty. Other than that, there was a pair of sinks with a mirrored medicine cabinet hanging up in front of both of them as well as a small cavity in the wooden paneling that contained folded towels and washcloths.

Once Grimmjow finished his explorations and gave the bathroom his approval, he shrugged off his jacket and loosened the sash around his hakama, fully disrobing after kicking off his boots and tossing everything into a wicker bin by the room's entrance. He then proceeded to grab a set of linens and walked over to the large shower stall where he slung the towel over the side and entered.

The water was refreshing to say the least; he liked his showers as hot as he could stand as if he preferred burning the dirt away from his body. He wasn't far from just beginning to wash himself when he felt a reiatsu signature move its way towards his position. The sound of the door opening brought his head out from under the scalding stream of the shower just in time to catch the familiar colors of purple and dark tan in the threshold.

"Hey, cat lady," he called from inside the stall, pausing only a moment before resuming his activities. Yoruichi entered the bathroom and walked up to the shower, leaning her back against the glass and looking around the room. "Just ordered dinner to be delivered," she informed the Arrancar. "And I found some good sake to celebrate your entrance into the Gotei Thirteen."

"You're the greatest, Yoruichi. Why don't you get in here so I can thank you properly," Grimmjow suggested playfully, earning a feather-light laugh from the woman who was only inches away from him. It may have not been outwardly visible to those around them but the two had become good friends in the half year spent training and living together at the Urahara Shop. They knew each other well and Yoruichi knew that Grimmjow only used her name when he was either grateful or seriously trying to seduce her…or both as outlined in the current situation.

"As tempting as it may sound and believe me it is," the anamorphic ex-Captain began, "I think I'll be fine out here."

"You're a heartbreaking tease, cat lady," Grimmjow cracked, chuckling along with the woman outside the shower. "You have a man?" He asked casually after lathering up his hair, causing Yoruichi to turn around and face him best she could through the distorted glass.

"No, actually but I'm looking," she sighed, looking up to the ceiling. "I didn't realize I was fucking invisible," Grimmjow retorted, eliciting another round of laughter. "I thought for sure, you and Candyman..."

"Is that what you've nicknamed Kisuke? And no, he's a great friend but I would never see him under a romantic light. I'm after a relationship, believe it or not," Yoruichi informed the Vice-Captain, turning back to resume leaning against the glass. "Well let me tell you that you can make your search easier by keeping your clothes on and let up on the teasing around strangers. You're never going to find anyone by having an avalanche of men follow you wherever you go," Grimmjow stated, matter-of-factly as he washed his hair.

"You know…you're a lot smarter than you lead on."

"It's part of the charm. Well anyway, now that I'm incredibly jealous of whichever man you finally end up with, how about you tell me the real reason you came in here?"

Yoruichi smiled and leaned her head back on her arms, closing her eyes and listening to the sound of running water. "I wanted to see what you thought about Soifon," she proclaimed, initiating a small pause in the conversation. "You mean in general?"

"Yeah."

"Well she's got spirit; I could see it in her even when I first saw her at the meeting with that cold face she was giving me. Got fire in her eyes too which is, as I said earlier, incredibly sexy," Grimmjow began, starting to wash his arms and chest as Yoruichi waited for him to continue with only a throaty sound of acknowledgment. "She's strong too; I heard she took on Aizen's number two even though she's a close-range fighter. That takes some guts," he declared admirably. "And now to the part, you really want to hear. Overall, she is very sexy; especially her eyes, skin, and hair which would be even more attractive if she took those braids out and let it down."

Nodding in agreement, Yoruichi sidestepped out of the way as Grimmjow exited the shower and began drying his hair. "So you don't have a problem with being her subordinate?" She asked in a serious tone, shamelessly looking her friend up and down. "Nah, my leash is long enough as it is so I really wouldn't care if I was knocked in with Captain dog-face or that bastard with the ribbons in his hair. Getting Shaolin was just my luck, I guess," Grimmjow said with a shrug, wrapping the towel around his waist and moving towards the door.

"You know, he's Rukia's brother. That's why he was looking at you like that at the meeting earlier," Yoruichi informed him sympathetically, knowing full well that the Vice-Captain had tried on numerous occasions to make amends for injuring her during the Winter War. "Damn, that'd do it."

The pair exited the room in silence and moved into the center of the bedroom where Grimmjow tossed the used towel in another hamper and commenced dressing himself. "I like what you've done to the place," commented Yoruichi as she moved over to the window and giggled at the sheets and broken furniture littering the area outside.

"See ya later, Grimm. I'm off to have some more shower talk before the food gets here."

"She's still in the bathroom?"

"It takes a while to get those braids out," Yoruichi muttered, exiting the room with Grimmjow who turned into the lounge while she made a beeline for Shaolin's bedchamber.

Opening the door quietly and entering the spartan room, Yoruichi moved towards the bathroom and slipped inside with feline grace.

Soifon's mood was quickly making a turn for the better while the warm water washed away all the stress and tribulations that had accumulated over the last number of hours, standing with her face tilted up towards the showerhead. But despite her best efforts to clear her mind, the Captain's thoughts kept being directed towards analyzing her new officer. So preoccupied was she that Soifon failed to notice the bathroom door open until the sound of it closing with a loud click that echoed through the bathroom jolted her back to reality.

"Relax, it's just me," Yoruichi announced after feeling a spike of reiatsu coming from her protégé. "Grimmjow may be a bit depraved but he isn't one to go walking into your shower," she continued with a snicker, clearly spotting the glare that the other woman was giving her through the warped glass. "Why are you here?" Soifon asked coldly, returning to her previous activity of facing the stream of water.

"Just wanted to have some girl talk."

The petite assassin did not like where this conversation was going one bit but nevertheless, she wasn't going to give up her meditative shower to chase her friend out of the bathroom. "About Jeagerjaques, right?" She stated knowingly, her voice carrying an underlying tone of agitation. "Hey, you have a wager to uphold," Yoruichi scolded mockingly, taking up her familiar position of leaning against the shower stall.

"That was with him, not you," Soifon growled, turning around to rinse lather from the lower areas of her hair. Silence prevailed throughout the room for several moments, broken into small portions by the splashing of water against the shower floor.

"So what do you think of him?"

"I think he's an arrogant and debased miscreant who finds joy in making my life miserable. Simply put, he's a cocky, male version of you," Soifon answered darkly, turning off the water now that her peaceful time alone had been thoroughly ruined and wrapping a towel around her hair before opening the door to the stall. "But," she began, ignoring the half-hearted scowl Yoruichi was giving her. "He's frustratingly qualified to be my Fukutaicho and if the Soutaicho has assigned him to me then I will honor that decision even if I don't care for it," she finished with a sigh, grabbing another towel and drying her body before throwing it around over her exposed chest.

"Nothing to say about his looks?" Yoruichi inquired slyly, earning a low gaze while Soifon moved the towel around her head before discarding it in favor of a brush.

"No, I have no thoughts similar to yours about that supposedly attractive Arrancar," she muttered, running the brush quickly through her hair. "I think you're lying," Yoruichi sang in a high voice, snickering at her glowering successor. "No matter how detached you've made yourself in the last century, you're still my friend and I know you. You're not blind and he looks good so I don't know what the problem is. And since I've effectively ruined all women for you," the goddess began with a laugh, "he makes a very good option."

"You're out of your mind," Soifon snarled, getting to work on drying her hair further before braiding it. "Only you would think that a second jaw on the side of someone's face, blue hair, and a hole in the abdomen are attractive features."

Yoruichi's smirk hardened into a thin line as she narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Now you're just being mean for the hell of it," she stated icily, causing Soifon to shiver at one of her mentor's rare exhibitions of distaste. "I wonder who you're lying to, me or yourself. You've seen enough of him to tell that he's hot with a personality that's very refreshing around second division so why you can't admit that, I don't know but it's pissing me off. He even went out of his way to say those nice things to you today and you just blew him off. You're both good friends of mine and I won't let you be at odds with each other, now just say it and I won't say anything about it to him," she demanded, her voice raised slightly which caused her successor to look at her with wide eyes and then down to the ground.

"Fine…he's…attractive," she conceded, moving her gaze back up to Yoruichi with a neutral expression which became softer when faced with a large grin. "See, that wasn't so hard. Now how about going out there without the braids tonight, your hair looks great when you let it down."

"I don't think so."

_Ah well, it was worth a try. Too much to ask in one night, I guess._

"Alright then, turn around and I'll help you fix your hair," Yoruichi ordered, grabbing the long white ribbons and gold rings from a nearby shelf and quickly getting to work when Soifon sighed and let her former teacher weave the first braid.

Several minutes later, the two women emerged from the bedroom and strode through the office and into the lounge where they sat down on a large couch across from Grimmjow who studied them from the corner of his eye as he reclined on a daybed. "Food isn't here yet," he told the two absent mindedly, only to jump out of his lethargic position and race past the bewildered women as a knock came from the door to the office.

_He must be hungry…_

Grimmjow thrust open the shoji doors and looked down to see a female shinigami behind a cart adorned with a large silver platter that rested on top of it. Moving his eyes up from the cart, he frowned when he saw the terrified expression on the woman's face. Yamamoto had clearly not told all of Seireitei about the integration of Arrancar yet judging by the low whimpers coming from her mouth.

"Well since you're staring at the hole and nothing else, I guess you wouldn't be interested in spending the night so I'll just take this off your hands and leave you alone," Grimmjow mumbled blandly, grabbing a hold of the large platter and kicking the shoji doors closed before maneuvering deftly back into the lounge.

Dinner that night had served to slightly loosen the tension between Soifon and her new Vice-Captain, even going as far as to join him and Yoruichi in a round of cheers with warm sake for gaining his position as second in command of the Onmitsukido.

After a night of drinking, eating, and light conversation, the three parted ways and set off for bed.

**

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**

Author's Note: I had a lot more fun writing this chapter than the first one and I tried to incorporate more humor into it.

**Don't forget to review!**


	3. Hard Eyes and Soft Lips

**Reader Response!**

**Artemis: Glad I'm being slightly original and I agree about too many stories lacking long chapters. I think the longest chapter I've ever written was about 16,000 words for BBTF.**

**W K W I A: Thanks for the positive feedback, always nice to hear. I figured Grimmjow would need at least one character that wouldn't be omgsofuckinghawt to add some balance.**

**Amaki-san: Grimmjow has a very animalistic philosophy on life that revolves solely around strength and preservation of ones self and all things dear to them. I like to incorporate it a little to keep him in character when some of the other things I have him do make him a little OOC. And thanks for being a loyal reviewer, it means a lot.**

**Notorious: Thanks for looking out for the grammar and having some laughs. As for the IchiHime pairing: it's not as prominent as you think it is, I mean they just left the story for the time being last chapter. I wouldn't do that if they had a job to do in the plot…if I even have a plot. So don't worry, it'll be a very and I mean very minor pairing.**

* * *

It was mid-morning in Seireitei and the summer heat had returned in full force after being kept at bay during the previous night. Streets that crossed into the sun were avoided at all costs by denizens of the massive city, losing in favor to the shady, more scenic routes. Out in front of the Captain and Vice-Captain of the second division's residence, several shinigami were loading pieces of discarded furniture into a large cart to be taken off and dumped into the nearest landfill.

Soifon stirred from her sleep, fluttering open her eyes and immediately regretting the action when an intrusive sunbeam burned into her cornea. She groaned as she rolled over one of her braids, cursing while she fished it out from under her and tossed it over her shoulder where it landed with an airy sound across the bed. Abandoning all hope of returning to a peaceful rest, she opened her eyes once more and stared at the ceiling, thankful that she hadn't drank enough sake the previous night to make her morning any worse. However, her sleep schedule had been thrown off; the sun was much higher in the sky than when she usually woke up.

As the grogginess wore off, her thoughts started running over the events that had taken place the day before, more specifically the ones concerning Grimmjow. It had surprised her to learn that he and Yoruichi were good friends. Truly the fact that he was an Arrancar did not bother her mentor one bit. On that thought, Soifon's face twisted into a pensive expression.

_He and the other three certainly don't seem like a threat at all. I suppose Central Forty-Six knows what its doing after all._

The petite Captain frowned heavily when her musings made a more indirect turn to what she and Yoruichi had talked about in the bathroom. She had admitted that she found him attractive albeit being forcefully made to but the point was still there. It wasn't unnatural, she reasoned. He was a man and she was a woman, she had every right to judge his appearance in a positive comparison to other men, so then why did her face heat up slightly when her mind rolled over the compliments he had given her, serious or otherwise? And why the hell did she mind him calling her by her birth name less than she did with Yoruichi?

It was all very confusing and Soifon didn't have the time or the stamina to sort out her thoughts, opting instead to distract herself by getting out of bed, changing into her uniform complete with white haori, and exiting the bedroom into the office where the sight that greeted her instantly made her want to take a sick day.

"I told you that they wouldn't fit."

"Shut up and push, they're made out of very flexible material."

Grimmjow and Yoruichi paused in their activities to look up at Soifon who looked at the two with a weary glare and strode across the room where she maneuvered sluggishly behind her desk and flopped into a chair. "Do I even want to know?" She growled, watching as Yoruichi was attempting to slip a pair of black slippers with the head of a cat on top of the toe and a small tail extending from the heel onto Grimmjow's feet. "Well this is exactly what it looks like," the ex-Captain grunted in frustration, before tossing the stubborn footwear on the floor and heaving a sigh. "We stumbled across a closet filled with all your black cat stuff and decided to check it out, hope you're okay with it."

"Are you sure you two don't want to marry each other?"

"I've been trying, believe me but Cat Lady's harder to get into than those fucking slippers," Grimmjow answered, receiving a playful punch to his arm.

_She was right…never a dull moment._

Soifon buried her face into the palms of her hands, letting out a slow breath while the others simply looked on with curious expressions. Her chagrin was only amplified when the first thing she saw was a heap of paperwork sitting on her desk. "Just what I fucking need," she hissed, resisting the temptation to go over to Grimmjow's new desk and grab one of the jugs of sake that her former subordinate had left behind.

"Something bothering you, Shaolin," Grimmjow asked the distressed woman as he moved over in front of her desk while Yoruichi headed for the exit to the barracks. "I'll see you later; I'm going to see how Nel's handling her promotion before spending some time with Matsumoto and a couple of friends. You two try not to have too much fun while I'm out unless you plan to tell me every juicy detail," she called with a wink over to the officers before heading out through the shoji doors and leaving them alone.

With the goddess out of the way, Grimmjow and Soifon slowly turned to meet each other's gazes. "The question still stands," the Arrancar stated with his usual smirk, sitting down on the edge of his Captain's desk and disregarding the cold stare that he received afterwards. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with," Soifon muttered while moving her stare from teal eyes to paperwork, pulling out a pen from a desk drawer and studying the top-most document.

"Ah, come on. Don't shut me out, Shaolin," Grimmjow whined in mock hurt. "I just want to know what's got my normally vibrant and sexy Captain so down," he concluded, pushing away the stack of stationary which in turn forced Soifon to look up at him with an exasperated expression. "If you must know why I'm so upset, it's because I overslept, thanks to your little series of toasts last night, on a day where I have so much work. And on top of that, I have to deal with you and Yoruichi first thing in the morning," she admitted in defeat, pulling the stack of paperwork back in front of her.

"How 'bout a massage?"

"Somehow, I'm finding myself able to resist you enough to decline," Soifon said in a tone that dripped with sarcasm. "It was worth a shot. I know what would put you in a good mood," Grimmjow declared, hopping off the edge of the desk and facing the tired glare his Captain was giving him with enthusiasm. "Let me guess…something sexual?"

"Well yes, if you'd let me but somehow I don't see it happening…at least for now," the Vice-Captain began, earning a ghost of a smile from Soifon when he shifted into a combat stance and danced around an imaginary target, dodging nonexistent punches and striking the air. "I was thinking something more along the lines of a sparring match," he suggested, returning to the front of the desk.

"Don't you have any work to do?" The petite officer countered exhaustingly, pointing over to a heap of papers with a quantity that rivaled her own, sitting on Grimmjow's desk.

"Already did it all."

Soifon blinked at the statement in disbelief, immediately getting out of her chair and striding over to the bulk of controversial paperwork. Sure enough, every form had been completed perfectly which absolutely astounded her. How the hell could someone like her Vice-Captain complete all his work in the morning when someone as competent and focused as her would be working well into the afternoon? "You must've stayed up all night," she reasoned, looking in shock at the blue-haired Arrancar. "How the hell did you manage this?"

"It's a secret," Grimmjow said playfully. "Now will you spar with me? Come on, I'll do half your work," he announced in finality, gesturing towards the door.

_Well…he does offer two very nice incentives. I get to punch that smirk of his face and he ends up with half my work._

"Alright, fine but only one round and then we head straight back," Soifon asserted, leaving no room for objections as she walked to the exit of the compound and slipped into her traditional Chinese shoes. "Sounds good, I was just planning on going around back anyway," informed Grimmjow, foregoing any footwear as he opened the door and waited for Soifon to head through before closing it behind them.

Walking in comfortable silence, the two made their way behind the structure, passing several subordinates who gave them a low bow until they had passed.

"Damn, it's hot," Grimmjow mumbled, grimacing at the harshness of the summer sun while Soifon shot him a puzzled look. "This coming from a man who lived the majority of his life until now in a desert," she inquired skeptically, shaking her head with a small laugh. "Deserts are cold at night, Shaolin…plus Hueco Mundo doesn't have a sun."

Well that made Soifon feel incredibly stupid but it was just one more event she could pound away in her upcoming match.

"Hey, Shaolin?"

"What is it, Grimmjow?" The raven-haired Captain answered blandly as the pair rounded a corner into the final stretch before their intended training ground. "Are you better hand-to-hand or with your zanpakuto?"

"In a straight fight where stealth isn't an option, I prefer to use my hands if my opponent is without a weapon…why do you ask?" Soifon inquired, curious as to why her Vice-Captain would care about such a thing. "Well I figured if this was going to be a stress relieving match on your part then I might as well make you fight the way you want," Grimmjow explained matter-of-factly. "I'm glad you like hand-to-hand because it would've been a pain in the ass to go back and get our weapons."

Soifon looked over to her subordinate with her mouth slightly open as he continued to stare straight ahead. It amazed her that in between his streaks of definably perverse behavior, he found room to be so down to earth and considerate. Yes, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques was quickly proving to be quite the enigma.

Within moments, the two officers reached their destination: a small open grassland surrounded and shaded by several dozen large trees that only allowed a few persistent rays of sunlight to penetrate their branches as dappled streaks. The ground was firm from the little rain it had received, providing excellent footing while the thick grass was just enough cushion to make a difference if someone were to be knocked down.

"Ah, it's perfect!" Grimmjow exclaimed, jogging with a smirk into the center of the field. "Get those sexy legs moving, Shaolin! We've got a match to fight!" He called over from where he stood with his hands in his pockets, letting the shadows drift over his spiky azure hair.

Try as she might to suppress it, a barely noticeable smile played across Soifon's lips. Slowly but surely, she was becoming accustomed to every action she did and every part of her body being deemed "sexy".

_It irritates me to admit it but Yoruichi was right, his personality is kind of refreshing around here._

Once Soifon hung her haori on a nearby tree branch, they met together in the middle of the patch of grassy terrain, placing their right hands up with the wrists touching in proper sparring form. "Ready when you are," Grimmjow said, his voice low and his mouth stretched into a predatory grin. "Here I come, try not to blink," Soifon retaliated half a moment before sending a lightning fast kick aiming at her opponent's head only to have him lean his body out of the way and come back with a flurry of punches that landed several glancing blows on her ribs and shoulders.

_Damn it, he's fast even without his release._

Now on the defensive, Soifon was using shunpo unsparingly, weaving between Grimmjow's attacks but every time she had seen an opening, it was quickly covered by either an arm or a knee. Still, she was unfazed by his outmaneuvering. The second division's Captain was not one to let the first attacks of a battle decide the final outcome, she was an assassin and Grimmjow was the enemy.

Jumping over a low kick, she made finally saw a clear line of attack and landed a hard strike on the top of the other combatant's head with her elbow. The now stunned Grimmjow became an easy target for a few follow-up attacks which included a hard knee to his stomach and a left hook to his jaw, sending him stumbling back several steps. But Soifon wasn't done yet, she launched into a high kick which landed squarely in the center of his chest which made him fall backwards onto the ground.

_Alright well that should've gotten some stress out. Sorry Shaolin, you're punches are hard but my hierro is harder. You're going to have to do a lot better if you want to see me bleed._

He watched from nearly closed eyes as Soifon approached the prone body of her Vice-Captain cautiously, inching towards him to see what was keeping him down. "Grimmjow…are you alri-"

Her sentence was cut short when a sweeping kick knocked her feet out from under her, causing Soifon to fall flatly onto Grimmjow with her face only an inch or two away from his smirking visage. "Gotcha," he said playfully, grabbing his Captain's shoulders firmly and pulling her under him, reversing the locations of their bodies.

"That was such a novice mistake," he chided, his pale blue eyes burning into her own brown orbs as he held their position despite the lack of a struggle. All Soifon could manage to do was stare at the Arrancar with wide eyes. "It was a dirty trick," she muttered back, her breath nearly hitching by the end of the small statement. "I know something dirtier," Grimmjow countered, not missing a beat.

Soifon couldn't help it after that last statement. Her cold exterior completely shattered and a deep crimson blush slowly flushed over her cheeks much to Grimmjow's amusement. "There it is," he whispered huskily. "Took long enough but I knew that you weren't all fire and ice deep down, Shaolin." As he said this, the Vice-Captain looked into his superior's nearly half-lidded eyes, his mouth stretching into a feral smirk when he saw that as usual, something was burning behind them but amidst the anger and embarrassment, there were a few cinders of something else that took him by surprise.

Getting to his feet, Grimmjow looked down at his mortified Captain and offered her a hand up which she promptly ignored by getting to her own feet and dusting the grass from her robes. She shook away her blush angrily and refused to meet the pair of teal eyes that had subdued her so completely.

_What the hell was that just now? I've never lost myself like that, ever._

"Feeling better now that you've smacked me around a little," Grimmjow asked while he watched his superior hook her arms through her haori and nod absent-mindedly. For the second day in a row, Soifon found herself incredibly confused due to the antics of her new officer.

_Was that all just a joke; did he plan the whole thing? If so then I just walked right into it.. And then his eyes…did he use some sort of Arrancar ability to paralyze me? Or…was it all just me, melting like an idiot and staring at him while he fucking pushed himself on top of me. I wonder if Yoruichi would be able to give me a little insight without telling all of Seireitei that my Fukutaicho made me blush._

Meanwhile at the immediate right of Soifon, Grimmjow was having similar albeit much more coherent thoughts about what had just transpired as he motioned for the woman next to him to follow him back to the main entrance to the office compound.

_Looks like Shaolin isn't as reserved as she puts on; Cat Lady is going to roll circles around the floor when she hears about this. _

* * *

Back in the office after an uncomfortably silent walk back, Grimmjow kept his word much to the gratitude and surprise of Soifon and cut her stack of paperwork neatly in half. He sat at his as his desk wordlessly with his usual smirk and looked over the mass of documents before shrugging and pulling a pen over from the edge of his desk.

Soifon was eternally thankful that her subordinate had yet to tease her any further about what had happened during the match. While it was true that the fight against Grimmjow, however short, had relieved her morning stress and let her work a little anger out, she now had a much greater kind of stress running through each corner of her mind. She was grateful for the match but she wished for the first time ever that she had more paperwork to do so that she could focus on something other than a certain blue-haired Arrancar.

The task itself was hard enough until several minutes later; she had been torn from her thoughts by the sounds of paper sliding through the air and the clicking of a pen reaching her ears with only a few seconds pause between them. Now it was extremely difficult to ignore since the source of said disturbance just so happened to be her Vice-Captain who was wearing a concentrated expression as he clicked his pen and slid form after form into a 'completed' pile near the work he had done earlier in the day.

Sighing in defeat and figuring that her curiosity wouldn't be satiated until she got to the bottom of his odd behavior, Soifon stood up from her chair and made her way over to Grimmjow's desk.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Working," the former _sexta espada_ answered bluntly, pulling a document in front of him and clicking his pen which resulted in a squirt of ink erupting from the ballpoint, smiling when a sound of half surprise and half outrage came from his Captain. "Just watch," he said calmly, holding up the paper for her to see as the blotch of ink broke apart and moved along the stationary, forming signatures and perfectly worded reports. "Don't know how I'd get by without it?"

Grimmjow swiveled his chair over to look at the petite assassin who was clearly impressed by the effects of the pen. "Let me guess," she began coolly, "There's only one person that you would know who's lazy and genius enough to invent something like that." Soifon shook her head and let out a slow breath, Urahara Kisuke always found a way to leave a piece of his legacy with every person he met.

"I have another one if you want it," the Vice-Captain offered, pulling an identical pen out from a drawer near the top of his desk and holding it out to Soifon who looked at the object questionably, debating whether or not to accept it. On one hand, it was made by the man that vexed her to no end and it seemed like an easy way out which she wasn't very fond of. On the other hand…it was paperwork. Making her decision, she plucked the pen from Grimmjow's hand and stared at it with a scrutinizing stare.

"So how does it work?"

"Well," Grimmjow began, moving back to his desk and resuming filling out his half of the workload with god-like speed. "He didn't tell me the details but I know that it turns the writer's spirit particles into ink which uses your thoughts to determine how you would best fill out whatever you're doing," he concluded.

Satisfied with that answer, Soifon moved back to her desk and tested the pen on a form that confirmed her knowledge of over two dozen of her men being kept in the fourth division's medical ward. Her face softened slightly when everything was signed and dotted in the correct areas. She put the completed document off to the side and tried to emulate Grimmjow's routine of clicking and passing, letting a grin overtake her lips at the sight of her rapidly shrinking workload.

The office was then engulfed by clicks and the rustling of forms as piles of paperwork rose and fell.

"Done!" Grimmjow shouted, banging his hands down on the surface of his desk in finality. "We should race next time, Shaolin. Loser gets to be the submissive one when we go to bed tonight." Soifon chuckled as she neared the end of her workload; she was in the best mood she had been in for well over a decade.

"Later, Shaolin. I'm due for some sake down at eighth division."

Soifon stopped what she was doing the instant her second in command had finished speaking, looking down at a clock on the edge of her desk and back up to Grimmjow with an incredulous stare. "It's barely past noon," She muttered flatly. "Damn, that means I'm late," the Arrancar grumbled, disappearing into his room while his Captain rolled her eyes and resumed her work but slowed her pace almost to a halt when her mind went over the time again.

It was only twelve and she was approaching the end of the day's work hours earlier than usual so what was she supposed to do? She didn't know very many people well enough to get together and do something. There was Yoruichi but she was with Matsumoto Rangiku and several others who would most likely spend the afternoon sharing gossip and talking about men. Soifon didn't really care to join a group like that; she had become more social in the last year but not enough to put up with hours of giggling and teasing. Other than that, she was left only to entertain herself, the thought of which made her a little depressed.

_I guess I could train…_

The sound of Grimmjow re-entering the room with a pair of black boots and his Vice-Captain band brought her away from her growing melancholy. "Hey," he grunted as he tugged a boot onto his left foot. "Wanna come with me?"

When he received no response, he looked up from tackling his other piece of footwear to see his Captain looking at him with an unidentifiable expression. "Drinking in the afternoon with you and some strangers…I couldn't," she ended with a whisper, her eyes moving down towards the desk only to shoot back up when Grimmjow appeared before her in a flash of static. "What'd I say about looking like that?" He growled, his usual smirk unbending into a thin line. "I can't stand sad eyes like that, they remind me too much of that bastard _Cuarta_. Plus they don't suit you a strong woman like you at all so either get pissed or cheer the fuck up because I hate sad eyes."

"Look," he said tiredly, seeing that something was obviously troubling his Captain. "Come with me and have a drink or two. If you don't like it then nobody's going to stop you from leaving but believe it or not, I can read people pretty well and you look like you need some company."

A moment passed in the office, the only sound to suspend it from silence being the movement of trees that could be heard out past an open window. "Grimmjow…" Soifon started, her voice cold and unreadable.

"Huh?"

"Thank you," she said sincerely as her eyes became hard once again, earning a smile from her Vice-Captain. "Thank you for the match and helping me with my work as well."

"Don't mention it, Shaolin. I just think your eyes are more attractive when you're not looking sad like that."

Now matching her subordinate's smile, Soifon raced through the last of her paperwork with renewed vigor while Grimmjow sat patiently on her desk. She soon finished within two minutes and sounded off her work's completion with a pleasant sigh before getting up from her chair, stretching her body, and sliding Suzumebachi into place behind her back. "So where is this taking place again," she asked as she and the former _espada_ proceeded towards the exit into the barracks.

"I don't know exactly…some tea house outside of the military zone by eighth division's barracks," Grimmjow replied unsurely, gritting his teeth at the harshness of the afternoon heat as he stepped outside once again. "I know the place," Soifon stated knowingly.

"You do?"

"Everyone does," the petite woman scoffed. "It's where Kyouraku-Taicho and Ukitake-Taicho drink. Are those two the company you referred to?" Her voice dropped an octave as she asked the question, narrowing her eyes slightly. "You have some bad blood with them or something?" Grimmjow asked with mild concern, hoping that his Captain wouldn't give up on going out before she even spent five minutes out of her quarters. "Well…" she began, "not necessarily a grudge or anything of the sort. Ukitake is fine, he's respectful and not very bothersome but Kyouraku is different. His flamboyance and womanizing don't exactly fall in line with my style of social interaction."

"Yeah, I guess it wouldn't," Grimmjow snickered, turning over to Soifon and motioning for them to stop at the edge of a busy street. "Don't worry though, I wouldn't have asked you to come if it were only those two we'd be with. Can't say who else is there exactly but there should be enough people to keep that straw hat away from you," Grimmjow explained with a reassuring smile.

"Fair enough, follow me then."

Soifon leapt with refined grace onto a nearby roof with Grimmjow right behind her. "Try to keep up," she said challengingly before taking off in a gust of shunpo quickly followed by a sound of static as the officers bounded across the dry summer air at lightning fast speeds.

The Captain frowned when she looked to her right to see her subordinate effortlessly keeping up with her, his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face which prompted Soifon to stretch her speed close to its limits in annoyance. However, this only served to anger her more when Grimmjow matched her pace with ease, gliding across Seireitei's skyline without a care in the world. "Look, Shaolin. If you want a race then I can give you one but I have to know where I'm going first," he chided, earning himself a stiff glare.

_Damn it, if he's this fast then he wasn't taking that sparring match seriously. We'll have to fight again for real some other time._

After thinking this, Soifon felt a blush threatening to creep up on her face as thoughts of another situation like what had happened when she had her legs taken out from under her danced across her mind's eye. She still hadn't exactly come to terms with what she felt during that interaction. It wasn't as if she'd never been intimate with a man before, she wasn't a virgin after all. The only difference she could spot between past circumstances and what Grimmjow had done is that he had been in total control. Soifon had pride and her past partners had been submissive, this coupled with the fact that she hadn't even come close to a man in a suggestive fashion for several decades made a potent combination that pointed out that something was indeed very off with what had transpired between her and the blue-haired Vice-Captain.

_As much as I hate to do it, I think I'm going to need to have a talk with Yoruichi._

She could only hope that the goddess would stay tight-lipped about what she would tell her. Either way, Soifon needed a female's interpretation of the recent events. Closing her eyes with a defeated sigh, the Captain sped alongside Grimmjow in silence for several more minutes until touching down in front of a large structure in the more commercial areas of Seireitei. "This is the place," she announced dispassionately, trudging through the open shoji doors and immediately being greeted by the loud but lively sounds of slurred speech and drunken laughter.

While Soifon parted through the tables and stepped past the open doors of private rooms, she couldn't tell if it was her or Grimmjow that caused the most people to stop in mid-conversation and stare blankly. Both of them were growing more agitated by the second as they approached the larger rooms in the back. Soon enough though, Soifon's thoughts were turned into Grimmjow's actions.

"What the fuck are all you people looking at!" He growled loudly, causing several patrons in his close proximity to fall backwards from their chairs while nearly everyone else flinched before quickly returning to where they had left off with the others at their table, immersing the room once again in a jovial ambience.

Seeing as how nobody had drawn their swords and attacked the Vice-Captain, the officers figured that everyone had been informed of the integration of Arrancar forces but it seemed that acceptance of the fact was a long ways off. They both rubbed their foreheads in perfect synch, looking at each other with an amused expression after doing so and proceeded to the very back of the tea house and into the private lounge where familiar faces were all around the room.

As expected, Kyouraku Shunsui and Ukitake Juushirou were both present as well as Abarai-Taicho, his second in command Hisagi Shuuhei, and Starrk who was the only one already with a slightly pink tinge to his cheeks. But what Soifon didn't expect to see was Yoruichi, Rangiku Matsumoto, and Nel waving her over to the small circle of furniture they shared. So while Grimmjow closed the shoji doors behind him and went to talk with the men, she watched him go and moved hesitantly over to her gender's portion of the room.

"I'm jealous," Rangiku started with a tipsy giggle as the petite assassin sat down on a plush couch on the opposite end of Yoruichi. "I would kill to have that in my division…I mean he doesn't even cover his chest," she concluded, gesturing over to Grimmjow whose hand was now clasping a dish while Kyouraku poured him chilled sake.

_So the majority of the women like him and all the men either drink with him or are afraid of him. Okay, I think I have this figured out._

"I honestly don't know why you all think he's so great," Nel scoffed with a superior look on her face, earning three pairs of raised eyebrows. "Yes I agree in that he has looks so don't call me insane but I absolutely can not tolerate him."

Soifon groaned as this argument was quickly turning into exactly what she had expected would happen if she shared company with her mentor earlier in the morning: women giggling and talking about men but still…at least they were talking about the familiar subject of Grimmjow. This reasoning was doing very little to keep herself from mentally slapping her forehead for thinking that she was interested in the topic just because it was 'familiar'. No, the enigma that was Grimmjow Jeagerjaques certainly interested her no matter what situation she was in. It pained her to admit it but her pride refused to allow her to lie to herself. Sighing deeply, she tilted her head up towards the ceiling before looking back down to see the other three women looking at her intently.

"Uh…can I help you?"

"We asked you how you've been getting along with Grimm," Yoruichi stated blandly, a thin smirk forming on her lips when her protégé paused and her expression shifted into an uncharacteristic mix of different emotions. "Well he doesn't piss me off as much today as he did yesterday," Soifon admitted airily, not really caring when three grins were forming in her field of vision. "I think we've reached an understanding of-"

"Each other's anatomy," Yoruichi finished, causing the third seat and seafoam-haired Taicho to erupt into laughter much to the expense of the raven-haired assassin who looked as if she was about to reach for her sword. "But seriously, I'm glad to see that you're warming up to him a little. Something must've happened when I left this morning," the goddess stated with happy sincerity, chuckling in disbelief when Soifon's eyes briefly widened and fell to the floor.

"Shaolin, you tell me what happened this instant!"

"Later," Soifon muttered in embarrassment, quickly regaining enough courage to shoot a fiery glare up at the trio of pouting women, warning them what would happen if anyone continued the current discussion.

"And here I thought that I was the only one who got sexy looks like that."

Soifon whipped her head to the side and watched in mortification as Grimmjow walked into the circle of furniture and sat down with a bottle of sake in between her and Yoruichi.

_Please tell me that he didn't see what happened._

"You're a heartbreaker, Shaolin," the Vice-Captain whimpered in mock hurt as he stretched his arms over the back of the couch and around the seats of both women next to him, never actually coming in contact with either of them but still managing to catch a heated frown from his superior. "You'll always be my first love though," he stated with a deadpan look on his face which would've made Soifon's heart skip a beat had she not hazily recognized that routine from someone she hadn't seen in at least a century.

"Now I'm really jealous, Soifon-Taicho," Rangiku grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest in a huff. "You had sex with him and he loves you," she wailed, causing the male officers to spit out their sake and look across the lounge while she took a long drink from a nearby ceramic flask which quickly flushed her cheeks a deep rosy color. Meanwhile, Grimmjow simply turned his head over to the petite woman next to him with a curious gaze. "We had sex?" He asked innocently while Yoruichi leaned to the front of the couch to get a better look at the situation unfolding in front of her.

"We had no such thing," Soifon seethed, baring her teeth slightly at those around her and then glaring daggers at the others on the far side of the room who promptly returned to their previous activities. Her rage shortly diffused when she felt an arm fall on her shoulder and someone move in to the side of her head. "I can make it so that the next time you answer that question the way you did…it would be a lie," Grimmjow breathed huskily into his Captain's ear.

With a mix of sheer anger, embarrassment, and something else, Soifon shrugged her subordinate's arm away from her and rudely pushed his head away with her elbow before snatching the jug of sake from his hand and drowning her humiliation with massive gulps of alcohol.

_I knew coming here was a bad idea._

"Give me that," Grimmjow growled, reclaiming the decanter from his superior. "If a woman like _you_ drinks like _that_ then she is going to die and the world has no use for a lesser population of beautiful women, Shaolin," he concluded with a humorous glint in his eyes that melted all emotion out of Soifon until she was in a neutral state, waiting for the next event to decide whether she stayed or tore out of the tea house in cold fury.

"I thought spending time with me would get you used to that kind of humor but I guess it's different with a guy, huh?" Yoruichi began with a mildly apologetic tone. "Sorry Soifon, we were just teasing…didn't mean to piss you off _that _much."

The tension in the room slowly deflated when Soifon let out a slow breath and thawed the icy glaze over her eyes. "Its alright…just don't do it again," she muttered and then turned to Grimmjow with a tired expression. "Can I have some fucking sake now?"

"Just don't overdue it, Shaolin. We can't race home if I have to carry you back," the blue-haired Arrancar jabbed, earning a small smile from his Captain while he handed her a saucer and poured her a moderate amount of alcohol from the recently abused flask. The smile didn't go unnoticed however and while the two officers from the second division were preoccupied, Yoruichi and Rangiku met each other's gazes with completely sober eyes and nodded knowingly while Nel watched their interaction in confusion.

From then on, the experiences happening within the lounge were nothing but pleasant and spirited especially after the two parties merged in the center of the room and the officers erupted into a frenzy as Starrk and Kyouraku tried to drink one another under the table, spawning nonstop entertainment for several hours until the group relocated to the roof of the eighth division's Captain's quarters just in time to watch the sunset.

* * *

Umbrellas suspended by kido littered the eaves of the large structure, shading everyone from the dwindling summer heat as Seireitei reached the cusp of nightfall. Lilynette had joined the group soon after they had arrived, immediately kicking the former _primera_ in the shin for leaving her with their conjoined stacks of paperwork and then striking up a conversation with Nel near the top of the roof. Since then, Starrk and Kyouraku sat with their haori and straw hat pulled over their faces respectably, dozing in an alcohol induced slumber. Renji and Hisagi were sitting along with Grimmjow and Rangiku, clearly amused at the latter's many failed attempts at the inebriated seduction of the former who turned her down under the grounds of the sake choosing her words for her.

While all this was going on, Yoruichi and Soifon had moved far away from the rest of the group, standing at the edge of the building with pale orange sunlight streaming across their faces.

"I can't believe it," the dark-skinned woman said with wide eyes, staring incredulously at her protégé with a wide smirk. "He actually made _you_ blush? I knew he was good but not that good and he even did it with such an overused trick too," she snickered as she shook her head slowly. "What do you mean?" Soifon asked coolly, finally feeling a little better now that she had been able to talk to her mentor in private. "I mean the whole taking a dive and then causing you to fall on top of him so you get close and comfy," the goddess explained. "I have a whole new level of respect for him now."

Soifon gave a weary glare before delving into the heart of the matter. "So what does it mean?" She asked in a low voice, looking over her shoulder and turning back when she saw that no one was near her. "Simple," Yoruichi began in a tone devoid of her usual playfulness. "It means you're starting to like him."

"Don't fuck with me," the Captain snarled, receiving only a set of crossed arms and a pair of narrowed eyes in response. "Honestly, Soifon. You can be so childish some times," the former assassin sighed, moving closer to her friend and shooting her a soft smile. "You can also be a little hard-headed as well," she continued, ignoring the inevitable glare. "I've been watching you around him ever since this afternoon and its painfully obvious to someone like me that you have a little something for him. Its nothing to be ashamed of especially considering how sweet he's been with helping you out around the office and saying those nice things you told me about."

Yoruichi paused and registered her old student's complex expression; she was obviously having a hard time dealing with the truth. "Two days is plenty of time to form feelings for someone even for people as reserved as you," she stated comfortingly, relieving a small portion of the distress from Soifon's face. "You're like me, you know. You don't become attracted to someone easily and now that you have, you're afraid of getting hurt again…which is my fault. Let me guess, you've never really had a relationship?" Soifon nodded slowly, letting her eyes fall to the ground. "You know…he'd be mad at you for looking like that."

The Captain's eyes immediately bolted upright and a small smirk tugged at her lips. "And I'll tell you a little something else," Yoruichi whispered, looking over to Grimmjow who was bordering between annoyance and pity while he lifted Rangiku's fawning body away from his chest. "He really isn't a womanizer at all, he just likes to tease but I think I've seen a little bit of sincerity in some of the things he says to you so maybe you two have a shot if you're willing to give it a chance because I think all signs are green on his end."

Upon hearing this, Soifon looked over to Grimmjow as well, her mouth and eyes unreadable. "Do I really have some kind of hidden feelings for that man?" She whispered to herself, her mind running through all the events that had happened in the last two days. "I don't know if I can be in a relationship…"

"I've never met anyone who needed one more," Yoruichi commented seriously, joining her protégé at her side and looking into the sunset for several moments, pondering the possibilities together. "I still don't know," Soifon muttered after a while, turning to meet a pair of golden eyes. "Just promise me that you'll seriously consider it," Yoruichi pleaded hopefully.

"…Yeah…okay," Soifon conceded, putting determination into the second word. The next thing she knew, she was pulled into a tight hug and found herself slowly returning the gesture. "Thank you, Yoruichi. You always somehow know how to help."

"It's the least I can do and I promise I won't tell anyone. Now let's get back, looks like something's happening."

Breaking their embrace, the two women walked over to where everyone was forming a tight circle around a small table suspended on the roof in the same manner as the umbrellas. Upon closer inspection, the stray piece of furniture held a single decanter of sake and several stacks of saucers.

Yoruichi and Soifon made their way through the commotion and sat down next to Grimmjow who merely shrugged when they looked at him with questioning eyes. "Nice of you to join us," the Arrancar remarked with his usual smirk. "I was wondering if my charm had finally run dry and you two decided to hook up and leave me back here." He felt his mouth stretch slightly when he received a string of giggles and a pair of rolled eyes which settled on him after their revolution with a small smile hanging below them. Teal met brown with matching softness before breaking to see a remarkably sober-looking Kyouraku with an even more amazingly awake Starrk at his side presiding over the small table in the center of the circle.

"As I look around right now," the flamboyant Captain began in an unusually solemn voice, "I see many things that I thought I wouldn't live to witness. For one thing, I see Abarai Renji wearing a white haori; this is absolutely ridiculous and it cannot stand." Everyone in the group including the red-haired officer chuckled lightly. "I also see shinigami and hollow sitting next to each other with their swords sheathed and smiles on their faces. I see the seeds of friendship growing faster than I've ever seen before. I see a peace unlike any the world has ever seen. I see an ancient grudge that has existed since the creation of Soul Society finally being resolved and I see that there are truly no enemies that are beyond reconciliation."

"Everyone grab a dish."

All around the circle, people quietly reached for a saucer, even Lilynette gripped one firmly after Starrk had nodded his approval. Once everyone had a dish, they held it up to Kyouraku who poured them all a small amount of sake and then gave himself a hefty dose before setting the small decanter back on the levitating table. Motioning for everybody to brink their saucers together, he opened his mouth to speak once more.

"As the sun sets tonight, it not only brings the night but it finally brings an end to the Winter War. Everyone, I would like to make a toast," Kyouraku announced happily. "To the creation of new beginnings…the creation of new relationships…"

Soifon looked over to Yoruichi to see that she was staring back at her before she gave her a wink and turned back to the toast, leaving her to trail her eyes back until she found Grimmjow raising his cyan eyebrows suggestively with his trademark smirk. Chuckling softly, Soifon looked past his playful features and into his eyes where there resided a much more serious message which caused her to break away from the intensity of his gaze and back to her sake with a slight flush.

"…And the creation of new opportunities," Kyouraku finished, ushering forth a series of clacking sounds as a multitude of ceramic vessels tapped against one another and then split apart to have their contents downed.

A small round of applause permeated the stillness of the twilight once everyone had finished their drink. The umbrellas then came down and everyone laid down across the roof to watch as the sun slipped below the horizon, revealing the billions of stars that shined brilliantly over Soul Society.

Only light conversation and vagrant comments floated through the night air for several hours as the roof was immersed in a tranquil ambience.

* * *

Grimmjow was spread out on the roof tiles with his head tilted straight up, looking into the cosmos before he let it fall sideways to look at his Captain who immediately averted her eyes when she saw him looking towards her. "Too late," he goaded, causing Soifon to move her gaze steadily back towards him with a half-hearted glare. "Have a good time?" The Arrancar asked with a smile which he found to be quickly mirrored in the lips of his superior who nodded slowly. "Thank you for convincing me to come, being here is certainly better then being alone in the office," she said gratefully.

"Don't mention it," Grimmjow muttered, waving a hand dismissively in the air while the other rested below his head. "I've got fun to spare so any time you need some just ask."

"Thank you, Grimmjow," Soifon murmured tiredly, her eyes half-lidded with sake-induced fatigue.

"Aww, that's so sweet," Yoruichi quipped, effectively replacing her former student's weariness with cold aggravation. "Way to shatter the fucking mood, Cat Lady," Grimmjow growled, once again verbalizing his Captain's thoughts. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't know you two were about to jump each other on the roof," the goddess retorted, waving her arms in front of her body defensively. "Shut up," Soifon interjected sourly as she rubbed her eyes, yawned, and got to her feet. "I'm too tired to punch you so I'll just hit you twice in the morning. Anyway, I don't know about you two but I'm heading back"

"Yeah, I'm ready to turn in too," Yoruichi added, causing both women to turn to Grimmjow who simply nodded before letting a wide smirk stain his face. "Last one home does all of tomorrow's paperwork, readysetgo!" He shouted before disappearing into the sky in a sound of static.

"Wait…fuck! No fair!" Yoruichi called after him, looking to Soifon only to receive a windy gust of shunpo as her protégé took off behind the blue and white streak flying over Seireitei.

"Damn it all," the goddess cursed to herself, stomping a foot on the roof before flashing into the night.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: So here's the first romance focused chapter, hope it's up to par with you all. It felt to me as if the beginning was a little lacking. I'm really going to try and progress into the relationship while keeping the two in character.

**Ah well, I did damn well enough for writing this in two days (you all will see it a day after I've finished it).**

**REVIEW and don't ask questions unless it concerns my handsomeness. Or ask other questions anyway, I really don't care. **


	4. Tear Stain Desert Rain

**Reader Response!**

**First and foremost, thanks to all the loyal reviewers that have been here since the beginning…which was a little more than a week ago…**

**FuriousDeragonmaji: Boxers for the obvious reason that they are less constricting and slightly less offending when I open the door on days when I have no reason to put clothes on.**

**Amaki-san: And so that is Rangiku's role in my story, to drink, seduce, and embarrass everyone around her…very in-character if I say so myself. **

**Unda…: I'm looking forward to it too. Last chapter I just kind of started writing on a whim until I get to the massive event that will span across three or four chapters…which will be revealed at the end of next chapter. And no, no I cannot refuse a good pair of pouting eyes. That is my curse as a heterosexual man.**

**Artemis: Okay, long response for that question because there are a few answers for it.**

**Why Grimmjow is not a Captain:**

**No spots were left open after Nel and Starrk who took the positions because of their less volatile personalities.**

**He is very well suited for his job as leader of the Patrol Corps as outlined in this chapter where you will see shinigami actually doing what they're supposed to besides paperwork.**

**Why not him instead of Renji? Simply put, he got there first but not only that. When you have a military as blatantly disorganized as the Gotei 13, the higher-ups will always put their own kind in seats of power when there is one eligible regardless of whether an outside soldier has more ability.**

**Hope that clears it up…one more thing. For the sake of my own God complex, I made Grimmjow more powerful (I mean at his level in the manga he was already at average Captain-class) I made him train for six months which by following Bleach and DBZ's concept of time spent training, would make him ridiculously strong. Bleach has got to have the shortest lapse of time between the main character turning from a weak high school student to superman that I have ever seen.**

**Ralf Jones: To be honest with you, I might not pair Yoruichi with anyone in fact I most likely won't. This isn't going to be a story where everyone finds their soulmate within three weeks, stuff like that requires too much character maintenance. So Yoruichi will be the primary supporting character with ties to both pasts of the main characters that focuses on pushing them together into the odd couple that they no doubt will become sooner or later. Sorry to disappoint but I'm only going into detail with her to explain why she isn't paired with Grimmjow to clear confusion. **

* * *

The moon of the previous night lay forgotten as morning came swiftly to Soul Society, bringing with it the harsh rays of the sun that roused the majority of spirits up from their beds to quickly start a new day. Grimmjow Jeagerjaques was no such spirit, he intended on keeping his eyes closed until the sun neared the peak of its revolution. So it was the late morning when he began stirring uncomfortably in his bed at the brightness and heat that assaulted his senses.

Grimmjow woke up uneasily in a state of half-consciousness that left his mind foggy and unresponsive to his attempts at forming coherent thoughts…that is until a voice rang through his ears.

"Last night was incredible," the mysterious speaker moaned sultrily.

Now normally, the Arrancar wouldn't have minded hearing such a thing coming from his bedside but there were several factors that kept him from smiling in triumph: he hadn't drank nearly half the gargantuan amount it would take to get him drunk the other day so he had a clear recollection of the rather pleasing events that had taken place but sex was not among them. The second and decidedly more disturbing reason why the voice was not welcome anywhere near him was that it was more masculine than his own and once experiencing this horrifying revelation, the Vice-Captain's eyes shot open to see a black cat licking its paw on the sheets next to him.

"It's too early for shit like that," he groaned before sitting up and staring at the snickering animal. "Couldn't you let me see something a little nicer when I wake up like your head under the covers or something?" Grimmjow smirked when his request was granted in the form of a naked dark-skinned woman laying provocatively at the edge of his bed. "I'm sorry, is this better," she asked, biting her lip and letting her eyelids hang low as she trailed her fingers across her bare hips.

"I can't believe that no man has fallen in love with you yet," Grimmjow commented humorously while he inspected the scene before him like a refined jeweler looking over a brilliantly cut gem. "You sure you can't donate an hour or two for old time's sake, Yoruichi?" He asked with uncharacteristic seriousness after a pregnant pause, eliciting a small frown from the goddess next to him. "Sorry Grimm," she muttered in a truly apologetic tone. "I told you what I'm looking for and unfortunately…you're not it. I don't mean any offense at all and we had a good…great run for those few weeks but what I really need is on an emotional level which is something that you can't provide at this stage in our relationship."

Yoruichi watched with sad eyes as Grimmjow put his arms behind his back and looked up at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Don't worry about it," he said absent-mindedly, moving his teal eyes slightly over so that they connected to the golden orbs on his right. "I get what you're saying and I'm not offended so pick those damn eyes up, its one thing with a person like Shaolin but a woman like you has no excuse for looking like that. Everyone has a period in their life where they want to be loved, at least humans and shinigami do."

The Arrancar observed contently as Yoruichi perked up into her usual mischievous self and sat up next to him, shooting him a large smile. "Unohana-san told you that, didn't she?" It was common knowledge within the tight group that had been around the Arrancar for the previous half of the current year that he was absolutely fascinated with any behavior that didn't involve basal instincts and often questioned those around him about it. By continuously observing and amassing information on the subject, he had come to form an understanding of the minds of non-hollows that rivaled most elder shinigami; this in turn allowed him to sort out the new feelings and emotions that had come with his transformation into a hybrid.

"Yeah, she did. Doesn't matter who said it though If no means no this time and you've got a good reason then I guess I'll just stick to teasing you until you find a guy. Then I'll grab your ass while he's looking so I can see if he's strong enough for you and if he ever gives you sad eyes then I'll kill the fucker and spit on his corpse," Grimmjow growled with a sadistic grin, causing Yoruichi to laugh loudly before pulling him into a tight hug and kissing his cheek. "Thanks, Grimm. You're the best male friend a woman could have," she whispered sincerely as she pulled away from him and morphed back into a cat. "Now let's get out of here, your Taicho got tired of waiting for you to wake up and started eating the breakfast we ordered in the other room."

Upon hearing this, Grimmjow rolled out of bed and quickly dressed himself before turning back to the feline on his sheets and scratched behind its ears for several seconds until it hopped away from him and moved towards the door to the lounge. "You know there's a new reason why I won't sleep with you again," she announced slyly, waiting for the man behind her to open the door. "And what's that?" Grimmjow inquired with obvious interest as he rested one hand on the door handle. "Your Taicho would kill me if she ever found out."

_Sorry for saying that, Soifon but keeping your feelings to yourself is always a bad idea._

Breaking into a heavy smirk after hearing this, the Vice-Captain opened the door and entered the other room to see the subject of the previous declaration look up at him with a piece of egg dangling over her open mouth, suspended by a pair of chopsticks. "Well isn't that a sexy pose," Grimmjow remarked teasingly, receiving a pair of narrowed eyes as Yoruichi walked between his legs and headed towards where a plate of fish and a saucer of milk lay on the floor.

"What the hell kept you? It's past ten!" Soifon snarled in a loud but frighteningly cold tone, her voice carrying none of the softness that it had from the night before which made her second in command's face fall slightly. "Sorry," Grimmjow muttered, letting his eyes fall on his Captain's and inwardly smirked as she broke his gaze and resumed eating. If what Yoruichi had implied was true then he would take advantage of it, not fully but for times when it would get him out of trouble like just then. He didn't see the point in using it against her to harm her emotionally or step on her honor nor did he even want to if he had something to gain by doing so.

"I'm surprised you're up this early considering what happened yesterday," Grimmjow began, "you drank more sake yesterday then you did then," he concluded dryly, moving across the room and sitting on a plush couch next to Soifon who merely looked at him and then the small distance between them on the furniture before scowling. "Well somebody had to get up and do the work since Yoruichi wasn't going to honor that ridiculous race we had last night," she declared with a hard smirk at the memory. "And yes, I did your surprisingly small amount of work as thanks for yesterday."

Returning to her food once again, the Captain failed to notice her subordinate inch steadily closer to her until a pair of strong arms wrapped around her torso and pulled her along the couch into a tight embrace. "Aww, you didn't have to do that for me, Shaolin," Grimmjow quipped happily, pretending to be oblivious towards the fact that the woman he was hugging was flailing around angrily and yelling brutal threats through half-chewed omelet. He held her for several moments before releasing her, laughing along with Yoruichi until he caught a hard punch to his nose which made him really start to crack up at his Captain's expense while blood trickled down his face.

"Idiot," Soifon grumbled half-heartedly, failing at stifling a small chuckle of her own after she had swallowed her egg. "Now hurry up and eat. You have some work to do today," she added, gesturing towards the tray of food that rested on a small coffee table in front of the pair. "Care to elaborate, beautiful?" Grimmjow questioned while he leaned over to the platter where a waiting plate was quickly loaded up with rice, salmon, rolled omelets, and a piece of toast. Meanwhile, Soifon was taken marginally aback by her new nickname and cleared her throat to stall her reply so that her Vice-Captain wouldn't look over to see her expression. "There was a mission file delivered here for you this morning," she explained, watching with mild awe as the quantity of food and milk that was on the tray had been nearly cut in half since she had last checked.

"Sounds like I'm in store for some fun," the teal-eyed Arrancar commented as soon as he finished swallowing a large hunk of fish; bones and all.

Several minutes later, Grimmjow, Soifon, and a now humanoid and dressed Yoruichi were sitting on the couch looking curiously over the contents of a black folder bearing the emblem of the Onmitsukido. The mission was simple enough from a reader's perspective, the Vice-Captain was to take four members of the Patrol Corps with him to Hueco Mundo where he would burrow underground into the Forest of the Menos to subdue and exorcise several powerful hollows that had been traveling to the human world and attacking several low-rank shinigami. Inside the file was everything he would need to track down his targets: full descriptions and documentation of their known powers as well as traces of their reiatsu preserved on thin slices of a crystalline substance that the Arrancar didn't recognize.

"All I make of it is that some Adjuchas got tired of eating their own kind for years on end and decided to use _garganta_ to travel to the material world and grab some shinigami to liven things up a little," Grimmjow thought aloud, earning a nod from the women to his left and right. "Though it does sound fun," he began with questionable hesitance, turning over to look at his Captain dead in the eyes. "My only regret is that I won't be able to see your face for so long," he continued in a low tone, causing silence to permeate the room thereafter while the pinkness of Soifon's cheeks and the width of her eyes were progressing steadily in a positive correlation. She could only freeze as her cold demeanor fell away slightly to reveal some of the pent-up feelings she had only just realized were residing within her.

_That bastard, I'm going to break his nose for this._

And she would have immediately carried out that thought had Soifon not come back to reality to see Grimmjow still staring at her with dominating heat hiding behind his glacial blue eyes, causing her mouth to run dry and her control over her brain to temporarily shut down to release a floodgate of foreign sensations spreading out across her body. These however, didn't last long enough to be sorted out once a widening smirk became visible at the bottom edge of her vision, replacing all of her out of place emotions with solid rage which manifested itself as a powerful strike right to her Vice-Captain's mouth.

Yoruichi flinched at the dull sound resounding through the lounge after the merciless beating her friend had just taken. His _hierro_ may have been strong but it would've taken more than thick skin to stop the attack she had just witnessed. Her point was proven in the form of Grimmjow who was seething in pain and rubbing his jaw soothingly at the center of the couch, the contents of his mission file scattered all over the floor.

"You were taking it so well," he mumbled with a distraught expression. "I wasn't expecting an elbow to the face."

The two women in the room looked on with obvious mirth at the theatrical display playing out before them. Grimmjow was now pacing across the room with exaggerated movements, creating a scene that lasted for several minutes until he promptly dropped the act and sat back down next to his Captain. "And you said _I _pulled a dirty trick," he began suggestively, aiming a humorous glint in his eyes right towards Soifon's own black orbs. "The way you were just looking at me had me convinced that we were going to paint the walls with sweat tonight." The words were thick and sensuous, rolling off his tongue more as an invitation than a jab at her pride.

Well the petite woman certainly hadn't been expecting that to happen, her surprise being highlighted by the dark crimson staining her cheeks. Grimmjow certainly had no fear of death if he had the gall to crack jokes like that after she thought she had made it abundantly clear that her already volatile inner emotional turmoil should not be fucked with until she resolved whatever attachments she felt growing towards her Vice-Captain. But his ears were selectively deafened to her threats, something that pissed her off to no end and made her mentor howl with laughter. Of course that didn't mean she didn't enjoy it a little even if it infuriated her simultaneously, quite the contrary actually. She liked having someone under her command that didn't cower in fear at her very presence and kept up with her sparring matches both verbal and physical; not to mention that his comments reminded her that there was a woman beneath the icy façade she wore over her body like a second skin, a very real and a very needy woman who was in no way immune to the effects that an attractive and alluring male had on her.

However, none of these immediate revelations could stop the very womanly reaction of her hand instinctively slapping Grimmjow's only exposed cheek to protect her honor when her combat training had flown out the window with his latest stunt. Looking at it from an outside standpoint though, he was only making an accurate observation, she had lost herself to him and he had only pointed it out albeit not very subtly but that in itself caused her chest to contract at the realization that he knew that she harbored feelings for him. Both relief and embarrassment washed over as a weight was removed from her shoulders, quickly coming to the conclusion that she would wait and see whether anything of hers was reciprocated. It was obvious that he wanted her sexually but their relationship was still very young so she would wait and see if he could find it in his heart to like her in that way. For now there was the pressing matter of his thrice-abused face.

"You're a heartbreaker, Shaolin," Grimmjow groaned playfully, snickering alongside Yoruichi, seemingly oblivious to the burning handprint etched into the side of his face. "I'll just take that as a sign of affection and be on my way, I need to be in the desert within the hour." And with that being said, the Vice-Captain rose to his feet along with the dark-skinned goddess next to him who promptly informed him that she would help him gather the four operatives needed to accompany him on the mission. "I'll be back in a while and then we can go out and have fun," Yoruichi called over to the Captain from the entrance to the office, earning a nod in confirmation.

"Later, beautiful."

Soifon rolled her eyes at her subordinate's farewell and slumped against the couch with a feeling akin to loneliness tugging at the back of her mind once she heard the shoji doors leading to the barracks shut, seemingly putting an end to her short but lively morning. All was well until a burst of static appeared behind her and she felt a pair of lips press hard against her cheek. "Stay sexy while I'm gone," a husky voice growled into her ear, causing her to immediately bolt upwards and turn around to come face-to-face with an empty room and the sound of _sonido_ echoing throughout the lounge. The petite Captain could only bring her index and middle finger up to her cheek with a slight flush before moving at a flustered pace into her office and scrounging the room for some work to do.

* * *

Half an hour later, five shinigami and an Arrancar had finished a second briefing of the mission to Hueco Mundo and were currently walking to the center of an open courtyard.

"You gave her _the eyes_, didn't you?" Yoruichi asked with a giggle as she traveled beside her blue-haired companion. "A woman like her just asks for them and she sure as hell had the best reaction out of any of the others I've used them on," Grimmjow replied, proudly smirking at his conquest over one of Seireitei's most infamous ice queens. "And there were certainly many interesting things about what I saw this morning," he continued slyly, motioning for the group to stop next to an ornate fountain that sent aquatic sounds resounding through the open area.

Sitting down gently on the stone lip of the bottom-most basin of the artistic waterworks with Yoruichi mimicking his position next to him while the four stealth operatives looked at each other in confusion, he smiled up at the sky and turned to face his friend. "I think she really like me," Grimmjow muttered as he shook his head with a toothy grin that greatly upset the anamorphic ex-Captain at his side. "What are you going to do about it?" She asked in an uncharacteristically serious tone, purposefully giving her voice an underlying tone that warned the Arrancar to choose his next words carefully. "I honestly don't know," he sighed in exasperation, bathing in the sun while tiny droplets of water splashed onto his hair and neck.

"She was hurt before and I don't want her to be hurt again," Yoruichi stated gravely, looking with a matching frown at the now upright Grimmjow. "Look," he began in a low pitch. "If she's got some girly crush on me and wants to make something of it then she can make the first move and if I find, by some god-given fucking miracle, that I feel something too then I won't hesitate to give her what she wants but if I feel nothing then I won't lead her on just to keep her from getting hurt. That would only turn out with a worse ending and you as a smart woman should know that. And I'm not saying this because I don't want any of it to be my fault if she gets crushed; I'm saying it because I consider her a mutual friend of ours."

This was the full extent of Grimmjow's capacity for benevolence and understanding. He had a rare gift for making good friends out of strangers in a matter of days and he was fiercely loyal to those he respected so it came to no surprise to Yoruichi when he offered to do what he could for Soifon's developing affection. "Thanks, Grimm. I knew you'd understand and I can't ask for anything more so I guess I'll get back to her, see ya," she chirped happily before gusting out of the courtyard, leaving a trail of supernatural winds in her wake.

Grimmjow heaved a sigh once her reiatsu was out of range and ran his fingers through his spiky azure hair in an attempt to dissipate thoughts of his current predicament. He had never been the object of anyone's affection, an object of lust, yes but not affection. No, that was a new one for him and he honestly had no idea how to deal with it. This was one entanglement with the female species that he didn't think could be resolved by sex alone…or could it?

_I bet Shaolin is an animal in bed. _

Now with a stupidly wide grin on his face, the Vice-Captain clapped his hands together and turned to his subordinates who all jumped at the sudden noise. "Alright," he began enthusiastically. "Who's ready to bust some fucking heads?" A pause came and Grimmjow could've sworn he heard crickets chirp despite being in the center of a massive city as the reserved operatives only looked at him in surprise. "I'm not speaking to my alternate personalities here, damn it all. As your superior officer I order you to speak freely. I'm not wandering around the forest without a decent conversation," the Arrancar growled threateningly, earning a quartet of 'yes sirs' from his squadmates before they uneasily shifted into quiet discussion amongst themselves, taking advantage of their newfound freedom.

Satisfied, Grimmjow walked over to one member of his task force and patted around his clothes before tapping against his chest to hear a metallic rattle coming from under his robes. "Uh…sir?"

"Just checking for unnecessary equipment, hold still," Grimmjow muttered, digging his hand under the man's shihakushou and pulling out a bulky device that made his hand feel ten times heavier. "Not going to need this," he instructed blankly before tossing the offending piece of metal into the fountain behind him and proceeding to do the same routine with the other three men. "Damn thing is useless. That thing hides your reiatsu but it dulls your power which is something you sure as hell don't need where we're going. Besides, hollows are going to smell you way before they would sense your reiatsu anyway so like I said: useless."

The shinigami paled at that information, looking nervously to one another to make sure they heard correctly before gulping in concert. "The fuck are you all looking like that for?!" Grimmjow shouted as he formed a _garganta_ with a lofty wave of the hand that wasn't clutching his mission file. "Looks like our beloved Taicho beat more fear into you than she did pride."

Now their new Vice-Captain may have been a rather unusual entity around second division but he knew exactly how to attack men at their core and the stealth operatives recognized this instantly, snapping to attention with renewed vigor. "That's more like it," Grimmjow declared in approval. "Now I believe I asked if there were any others besides me, myself, and I who wanted to bust some fucking heads?" Several roars and 'hell yeahs' were his answer and he couldn't have been more amused at how fast he reverted his previously faceless and stony subordinates back into individuals.

Grimmjow Jeagerjaques: enemy of all discipline.

"Well alright then. Let's get to it! Follow me," he ordered as he hopped through the recently-created portal with the other four hot on his heels.

His last thought before exiting Soul Society was that the air smelled like rain even though there were only a miniscule amount of white clouds in the sky.

* * *

They soon emerged at the other side of the _garganta_, falling through the air and landing gracefully atop a large sand dune.

Hueco Mundo was as it always had been and that was never more apparent to anyone than Grimmjow Jeagerjaques who surveyed his homeworld with an expressionless mask over his face.

The cloudless night sky was eerily welcoming for the Arrancar who found himself gazing intently at the unnatural shape of the crescent moon that hung low over the desert, casting an ethereal glow over the depressingly barren landscape. Harsh winds blasted sand onto every inch of exposed skin that ran along his body as a small lizard-like hollow creature slithered around his feet, feeding off his immense reiatsu: a testament to the carnal force that governed Hueco Mundo.

"Alright," Grimmjow started sourly, "Everyone in the air so I can make a hole into the forest below."

Five bodies levitated quickly into the night air as the Vice-Captain wasted no time charging up a _cero_ that blasted a wide scar into the gargantuan sand dune below him, draining sand into the cavern beneath. He thought he may as well pack a little extra punch to entertain his squadmates who now looked at him with a mix of shock and respect.

"Couple of things you guys should know before we go down. As long as you're with me, Gillians won't attack you unless they're commanded to by some Adjuchas or you attack them first so if you see one minding its business then it ain't worth the trouble. Second," Grimmjow announced as he unsheathed his sword. "You may as well always keep your weapons out just in case. And finally, keep in mind that we're on an assassination mission with multiple targets so despite how deep your hatred runs for my kind, try to restrain yourselves from attacking every hollow you see or you'll cause a big commotion that probably won't end well for you…maybe not me but sure as hell for you."

Four heads nodded in understanding as Grimmjow slipped the crystals containing the preserved enemy reiatsu into his pockets and discarded the rest of his mission file. And soon enough, the task force plummeted into the abysmal depths that were the Forest of the Menos.

"Damn…it's dark in here," one of the shinigami commented absent-mindedly, his voice echoing across a vast emptiness

That about summed up the area pretty well in the opinion of the others as they stood in a circle under the singular beam of moonlight, looking out into the darkness before them that was interrupted only by the dull blue light emanating from within the trunks of the large trees that shot up from the subterranean expanse. An ambience existed all around them, teasing their senses with nonexistent horrors blended in amongst the undeniably real shrill cries of hollows that rebounded through the forest and the faint outline of giant white masks that protruded through the trees. It was safe to say that the stealth force operatives had once again been introduced to fear which Grimmjow was no longer helping.

"WHAT'S UP, ALL YOU MOTHERFUCKERS?! YOUR KING HAS RETURNED!" The blue-eyed Arrancar bellowed ferociously with his hands cupped around his mouth, apparently going for maximum volume while his squad flinched with wide-eyes as he was deemed the most hypocritical person they had ever seen. "What?" Grimmjow asked the group of startled men. "I said we were going to be talking, didn't I?"

No one could really argue against that, it was true after all and so, with a weighted shrug, the task force set out to where the commanding officer felt a nearby reiatsu that matched one of the samples in his pockets.

**..................**

Grimmjow shook the gore from his hands as his final target lay dead at his feet; he had long since unleashed his _resurreccion_ for the sole reason of showing off and creating a few stories to spread around his division. There wasn't a scratch on him, something that easily impressed his squadmates who each had their share of several cuts and bruises after they had bit off a little more than they could chew when they attacked their third target while it was in a herd of at least a dozen other Adjuchas who were now resting on the forest floor with an ivory dart imbedded deep into their brains.

Everything had all been taken care of and soon after Grimmjow emptied his pockets, he was ready to go to where he now considered "home". "Let's head back," he declared solemnly as he looked up at the rocky canopy separating him from the desert, earning four nods and four sounds of swords sliding into their sheaths…and four dull thumps as heads hit the ground.

The Vice-Captain whipped his head around in shock as the reiatsu signatures of his comrades were simultaneously extinguished. But despite the calm manner in which he scanned the forest around him, he couldn't feel any enemies close by which made him uneasy. That soon changed when he switched from regular vision to _pesquisa_, spinning around fully and noting the distant blue flames of Gillians before looking up to see a massive inferno of reiatsu nestled high on one of the tree branches where he soon stood after a burst of _sonido_.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw next. Sitting with her back to the large trunk and picking a small piece of flesh from her massive teeth was a mocha-skinned woman with a torn white hakama and several bony protrusions barely covering her otherwise exposed breasts which sported an italic number three that was marred with a vast array of scars.

"Been a while…Tia."

Flicking the now-freed piece of shinigami meat from her fingers, Harribel looked up with mild interest at the man before her with half-lidded eyes that glowed with golden light.

_She's gone feral…_

"Six months," she stated pointedly, her ivory jaws barely moving at her words. "You've joined with the shinigami," she added, a small amount of heat lacing between her dull tone as she stood and faced Grimmjow with narrowed eyes. "Why?"

It was a question that Grimmjow thought he knew the answer to but in the face of the former _espada_, he found himself unable to immediately bring himself to talk which Harribel easily noticed. "Because…" he began, refusing to let his eyes lower under her piercing gaze no matter how much they wanted to. "Because they gave me a home and a purpose. They gave me so much without asking almost anything in return," he concluded in little above a whisper. "They asked you to turn your back on your own kind is all," the dark-skinned woman retorted coolly. "How could you Grimmjow?"

"Don't give me that, Tia," Grimmjow shot back, his dormant temper at the threshold of making a fiery return. "Strength is the only thing we have ever known, we followed when Aizen was the strongest and now I side with, not follow, the most powerful side. I'm obeying the laws of Hueco Mundo a helluva lot more than you are. Call it loyal to your own kind if you want but what kind of loyalty exists within a cannibalistic society, Tia? Why don't you spin back the proverbial pendulum your way and see just what kind of fucking right you have to condemn me as some kind of traitorous filth when you yourself are the final living memory of a war that _we _lost following who else but a bunch of megalomaniacal shinigami."

If Harribel was shocked then she didn't show it but the former _sexta espada_ could feel her rage boiling out from her uncontained reiatsu. "Are you forgetting how they hunted us? Killed us for simply eating the only food that would sustain us while they in all their hypocritical glory ate slaughtered livestock bred in captivity for no other purpose to exist other than being consumed? They killed my _fraccion_, they killed the only person able to see through their shroud of ignorance, and now they have brainwashed you and I hazard to guess the other survivors into becoming a part of their lies, lapdogs that sits below a throne built out of deceit and self-righteous genocide. Sending you here to act as their executioner to be rewarded with what? The illusion of freedom?" She shouted with unbridled emotion, exhibiting the rare sight of her mask unhinging to reveal her mouth beneath it as she spoke.

"Aizen tried to ki-"

"I'm the one that's free, Grimmjow, not you," she whispered sadly, trying to brush her unbraided hair into something other than an unruly mess. "They've bent your will and you just sat there while they spoon-fed you their hypocritical garbage." She walked over to Grimmjow and cupped his mask fragment tenderly, looking into his eyes with a mix of sorrow and pity. "What have they done to you, Grimmjow?"

"They haven't done anything," the blue-eyed Arrancar muttered, bringing his hand over hers and clasping it loosely. "You're wrong, Tia and I can prove it if you come with me. I can show you that there's a better world open for our kind and all you have to do is finally put down your sword and stop living in the past," he continued gloomily with the hint of hope at the edge of his dismal tone. "Just come with me and you don't have to be alone anymore."

Harribel felt unshed tears pile up at the edge of her eyes as his words died off as echoes in the surrounding forest. "No," she whimpered, pulling herself to her friend's chest and hugging him tightly, crying softly into his shoulder when he wrapped his arms protectively around her back. "No no no no," she sobbed forcibly. "Stay here with me and we can be happy together, we can be free together."

"I can't, Tia," Grimmjow said simply. "Please come back with me and you'll see that you're wrong," he pleaded into her blond locks, pressing her shaking form closer to him in an attempt to comfort her. He didn't think anyone had seen this side of her, the woman behind the mask, the woman that clung to her ideals like a piece of floating timber in a tumultuous sea, the woman that with her new emotions had become uniquely fragile under her hard exterior. It pained him to no end to see the friend he had made out of necessity after becoming an Arrancar so completely and utterly shattered beneath him.

"I'm so sorry, Grimmjow."

All the air in his lungs erupted from his mouth as a wide, lancing pain raced along his back like lightning. He slid down from Harribel's weakened embrace to see his friend clutching her sword with crimson blood running down its hollow center. "You can't be saved," she cried in an explosion of tears and reiatsu. "I'm doing this to help you so make it easier for both of us and stand still!"

Luckily for Grimmjow, the wound had not penetrated too deep within his _resurreccion's_ armor and narrowly missed his spinal cord which allowed him to roll deftly out of the way as he focused his energy on stopping the loss of blood and mending the long laceration. "Don't do this, Tia," he growled threateningly, side-stepping off the narrow tree branch down into the forest floor to escape a horizontal slash aiming for his neck.

"Attack _Tiburon_!"

_Fuck!_

In a blast of water and reiatsu, Harribel was shooting down through the stagnant subterranean air with her large weapon radiating the intent to skewer Grimmjow on its blade. But the neon-haired Arrancar wouldn't allow that to happen as long as he had a say in it. He didn't want to fight his first true friend but his need for survival that was woven into his hollow instincts superseded all wants and emotions that came from his shinigami half and in his released state it was even stronger. Dodging with feline grace away from the sonido-propelled stab, he hit the ground with a long slide and turned to face the woman who was picking her tooth-shaped sword from the ground and preparing for another attack.

Grimmjow knew he wouldn't get anywhere on the defensive side of this battle though, they were both offensive fighters and the only way to beat her and if it came to it, kill her was to pummel her into subjugation. So he thought quickly and launched several darts from his elbow to stall her while he raced over to where he predicted she would dodge and having guessed correctly, he delivered a sharp kick to her head. It was obvious then and there that she hadn't trained one bit since the war had been lost.

Retaliating with a sweeping strike with her sword in an attempt to take out her opponent's legs, Harribel swished through empty air but used the momentum she had generated to launch a high kick into Grimmjow's midsection that sent him crashing into a nearby tree with a loud grunt.

_I got too careless trying to take it easy on her. She's fighting with raw emotion behind every movement, making her stronger but much more predictable. Sorry, Tia but I will kill you if you don't stop this._

Making good on his mental word, the former _sexta espada_ shot through the pieces of bark and dust in a burst of static with his claws aiming straight for the mocha-skinned woman's heart. As expected, she used too much unnecessary movement to dodge, allowing him to land a well-aimed dart in her left elbow as he passed her. Harribel screamed in agony as the ivory drill grinded through tendons, muscle, and bone before exiting the other side of her arm and leaving a gaping hole in the center of the appendage.

"That was a warning shot," Grimmjow announced from behind her. "I didn't detonate that one but I will blow you to pieces with the next if you keep this up."

His words fell on deaf ears as a wave of highly pressurized water sped towards him, grazing his right shoulder when he failed to get out of the way soon enough, tearing a small piece of flesh from his body. With no time for pain, he diverted some of the reiatsu from the wound on his back to the fresh cut and then reentered the fight with a vengeance as he now radiated killing intent. "Have it your way, Tia!" He snarled, forming a pulsing red ball of energy in his left hand. "You're leaving me no fucking choice, you know that?!"

The _cero_ exploded from his hand with a vengeance as it burned through trees and ozone to find its target who at the last second, rolled to the right over her uninjured arm and sped towards Grimmjow, landing a solid cut across his chest that forced him to kneel in excruciation while Harribel raised her weapon high above his head.

Time stopped when the woman was within nanoseconds of delivering the killing blow, allowing the blue-haired Arrancar to sigh in relief as he put a small distance between himself and the sword to keep the reiatsu traveling along the blade from cutting him even when the sword itself missed its target. With that out of the way, he promptly fell unconscious.

* * *

Grimmjow awoke to the sound of exotic birds and the feeling of rain pattering against his face and the deep injury on his chest, causing him to jolt up in pain and take in his new surroundings.

He was eye-level with the canopy of a dense, lush jungle that was forever enveloped in an eternal night and nearly relentless rainstorms and the only place he found himself physically able to traverse was a crude rope bridge that spanned infinitely in both directions near the top of the rainforest. It was no surprise that he found a large black jaguar sitting silently on its haunches beside him; this was after all his inner-world, the place where his Zanpakuto's spirit forever resided until he died which very well could've been a few moments ago.

"It's been some time," the large jungle cat remarked, his voice being the only dry thing in the area. He watched as his master righted himself and sat beside him, dangling his legs off the side of the endless bridge. "Yeah," Grimmjow mumbled sourly, ashamed at the condition that they were meeting under, reaching around to give his spirit an apologetic series of scratches behind his ears that caused him to lie down and purr contently. "It pisses me off that I had to get saved again," he continued, letting the rain wash away the blood from his wounds that had for some reason carried over into his soul.

"I refused to let you die," _Pantera_ declared languidly. "Not under those circumstances, not when it had finally stopped raining for almost three days straight, not while you actually have several people who would miss you."

"It stopped raining for that long?" Grimmjow asked in disbelief, whistling in amazement as he continued gently stroking the feline next to him. "It's because of that woman," the jaguar informed his master, feeling a cat-like grin stretch over his fangs when Grimmjow stared at him blankly, knowing exactly who was implied. "Because of Shaolin?" He whispered with his eyes wide and his jaw slightly lower than usual. "I was just as surprised as you are so don't ask about it. All I know is that something about her parts the clouds in here…you'll have to come back and look at the stars and the moon with me some time…I never had a use for the word beautiful before and that woman gave me one so I can at least repay her by keeping you alive," _Pantera_ explained between purrs.

_That is just fucking creepy how we used that word at the same time._

Lost in thought, Grimmjow absent-mindedly fell back against the bridge and stared up into the cloudy sky, his eyes trailing over to where a dull white light made its way through the overcast. "Yeah, I'll come back and see the moon with you," he said airily, looking over to _Pantera _who gazed back at him with an austere look on his face. "Only if you survive your current battle…"

"I won't fuck up again."

"That doesn't matter. She is a powerful opponent, one that will prove difficult if she becomes level-headed and attacks you with a focused mind. Even with one arm, she has a chance of beating you and her resolve is so great that she will fight you until the last breath. I believe she has suffered severe psychological trauma and so there is no way to save her with this newfound compassion you've developed over the last few months. This is a kill or be killed situation, just like the old days," the jaguar disclosed gruffly, no longer purring. "I wish I could help you more but you're not ready for our full power."

Grimmjow sat back up at the hint of the alleged second release that Ichigo had shared with him. "_Segunda Etapa_?" He inquired in little above a whisper, smiling broadly when he received a nod from his spirit. "Not ready, huh? So what the hell do I have to do?"

"Find something to fight for other than yourself," _Pantera_ declared sternly. The large jungle cat let an annoyed frown dominate his features while he stared up at Grimmjow who had groaned loudly upon hearing his requirement. "What the hell do I need something as useless as that for? And besides, isn't staying alive a good enough reason?"

He couldn't even finish his sentence before he was hurled out of his inner-world and back to the floor of the Forest of the Menos with Harribel still frozen in the middle of her deathblow while he was unfortunately out of only the lethal range of the vertical strike which was demonstrated when time sped back up and a wide arc of sword pressure slashed across his chest, creating a cross with his other injury that was now beyond any hope of repair while Grimmjow's reiatsu was still focused on combat.

Gnashing his teeth together in pain, he flew back in a futile attempt to delay Harribel's next attack which was a replication of her earlier sonido-powered thrust that would've killed him had she not ceased moving once again, suspended motionlessly in the air with unmoving fire burning in her eyes.

"And so this is your lesson," a very familiar voice called out from the trees. "Kill or be killed but never abandon the feelings that your other half has given you, never lose yourself to bloodlust, and never kill without reason."

"Got it. Now leave me alone, sword," Grimmjow growled through gritted teeth, holding his chest as if he could stop the bleeding with strength alone. "Just don't ever make me do anything like this again, damn it!" He yelled with pure rage flowing along his voice as he brought his bloodied hand away from his chest and pointed it at the helpless Harribel. Pouring all the reiatsu he could spare and even diverting some from healing his injuries, the Vice-Captain created a vortex of blue light that swirled like a compressed hurricane in his grip. "_Gran Rey Cero!"_

Azure energy ruptured from his hand as the flow of time gradually sped back up, revealing a wide-eyed and horrified Harribel. It was obvious by the sheer amount of reiatsu within the blast that the _cero_ wasn't meant to leave her wounded, it ensured a kill. All she could hope to do was scream in terror before she was swallowed by what felt like millions of white-hot blades piercing into every fiber of her being while she was flung backwards through dozens of trees before crunching onto one strong enough to take the force, shattering nearly every bone in her incinerated body.

Once the attack had dissipated into the warped atmosphere of the forest, Grimmjow slowly rose to his feet and made his way over to the crumpled body. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath at the sight of the once-beautiful Arrancar reduced to a smoking corpse with bits of bubbling flesh melting away from her. Her injured arm had been completely blown off and if she wasn't dead then she soon would be after several more moments of the most intense pain imaginable.

"You didn't give me a choice, Tia." Grimmjow sighed mournfully, looking on as Harribel reverted back to her unreleased form, her sword lying unceremoniously next to her only arm. "I hope you'll be happy in your next life…you deserve it." With that said, the adrenaline in his body slowly drained away to be replaced by blinding pain as his assortment of injuries screamed for immediate treatment. "But I gotta be honest with you; I would've had more sympathy if you hadn't fucked me up so badly."

Grimmjow looked down at his chest and grimaced at the cross-shaped cut that spanned from his collar bone to his torso and completely across his body. Figuring that it was the most immediate concern, he concentrated what little reiatsu he had left after the massive _cero_ and forced the bleeding down to a slow ooze before focusing on his other wounds and then on a way out of the forest before any hollows were drawn to his weakened state in hopes of an easy meal.

_It's going to be a while until I can make a garganta, may as well get back to the surface._

Fortunately, his fight had created several holes in the rocky ceiling from forcing a good number of the trees to carve through it before falling down in a heap of otherworldly timber. And so he didn't need to waste any energy searching for his mission's insertion point or any other stray exits, instead he flew upwards back into the moonlit desert and collapsed into the sand with a fit of wet coughs. Thanks to his _hierro_, his wounds weren't unbearably deep but that didn't stop them from sending blood up his throat.

It would be at least an hour before he could stabilize his condition and even think about returning to Seireitei.

* * *

Soifon sat uneasily at her desk, bouncing her feet up and down on the floor as she waited impatiently for any news from Yoruichi about the long overdue return of her Vice-Captain. The only thing that was keeping her sane from the time spent in the lifeless office was the gentle pattering of the rain against the windows that had unexpectedly started in the mid-afternoon and showed no signs of stopping even as it neared midnight. It was strangely comforting in a way but whatever solace the weather gave her was overridden by the depressing and foreboding nature of the thunderstorm outside.

She was concerned for him, that much she could admit to herself easily and at least her mentor had shared her restlessness before leaving for the second division headquarters in hopes of finding that her friend had only reported in and gone out for a drink or some other irresponsible activity but as the small hand on the clock revolved further and further, the Captain was beginning to have doubts but never once did she let her eyes show any hint of what was going on in her head in case a certain blue-haired officer strolled through the door and caught her.

This however proved most difficult when the unmistakable sound of tearing reality came from beyond the door, causing Soifon to race over to the shoji and slide it open to be greeted by a sight that she was in no ways prepared for. There, on his hands and knees in the rain, was Grimmjow in his unreleased form who looked nothing like the cocky and depraved man she had known for the last three days, instead she saw a heaving and bloodied body. Where there was once spiky blue hair, there were matted and heavy dark strands. Where there were once eyes that held fiery determination, there were hollow orbs that looked as if they belonged to an old veteran of countless wars that had seen too much for five lifetimes.

"Yo…Shaolin."

Grimmjow gave his superior a strained smirk that broke into a deep twisted line when he realized his wounds had reopened after falling from his _garganta_. He looked up when he received no answer to see his Captain with an expression that made his blood run cold. For the first time, he saw fear etched into every feature on her face. "Fuck…I don't look that bad do I?" He asked weakly in a ragged voice that gurgled slightly with a mix of rain and blood.

"What the hell happened to you?" Soifon muttered darkly as she ran into the rain and supported Grimmjow on her shoulders as she led him back inside their office. "Ah well, Cat Lady and I," he began only to be cut off with a hacking cough. "We were arguing over which kind of lingerie would look best on you and one thing led to another," the Arrancar concluded with forced humor which made Soifon look over at him with a mix of anger and silent pleading. "Give it a rest," she ordered coldly, moving them over the threshold and into the dry compound. "Just sit down and shut up while I call fourth division."

"The hell you are," Grimmjow barked with a raspy shout. "I can heal myself just fine and you'll have to kill me before I embarrass myself by letting those idiots waste my time by patching up little scratches like these," he growled, tossing his sword out from his sash and onto a nearby chair in a harsh motion that sent the pair stumbling into a wall and sliding down to the floor with the Vice-Captain resting his back against Soifon as he sat between her legs. "I just need to relax for a while," he whispered in a soft tone that made his Captain's eyes widen even further even after she had thought them stretched to their limits when the two fell into their current position.

"Just let me sit here for a minute, Shaolin."

Soifon felt her eyes close slightly at his plea, fighting but ultimately losing to the urge to wrap her arms around the man in front of her, holding him loosely while her head rested on his uninjured shoulder. She didn't care about the assortment of crimson stains that were finding themselves on her white haori; the petite woman was quickly finding herself breathing easy with her subordinate nestled against her awkward embrace.

"Who the hell do you take me for, worrying like that?" Grimmjow murmured after a small silence, relaxing his body fully into the slender form behind him. "Bastard," Soifon retorted in a low whisper, still surprised at her own boldness as she felt the pressure of Grimmjow's now-stable breathing against her chest and finding it to be strangely pleasant. "Sorry," the Arrancar began, effectively startling the Captain. "This time I guess it's my fault for you looking like that so you can get off easy this time but you won't be so lucky after now because I'm never going to make a woman like you look at me like that again," he finished sullenly, forming a promise that he had no intention of ever breaking.

"Just shut up and rest," Soifon commanded half-heartedly, covering up the fact that her insides had just flipped completely at his words. "I could say the same for you with the way your heart is beating," Grimmjow teased, earning the best glare his superior could give him from her spot beside his head. "I think we could both rest more comfortably in your bedroom," he suggested provocatively, causing a small amount of relief but mostly embarrassment and annoyance to wash over Soifon as she smiled at the return of his normal humor. "Don't push it."

As the rain died down in two worlds at once, it became clear as day to the Captain of second division that she was indeed falling for her second in command, all she could do now was wait and watch for any signs that he felt the same way for her.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Damn, I rushed the shit out of the ending to this chapter and I really don't like that at all. I intended for Soifon to put Grimmjow to sleep in his bed and then have a conversation with Yoruichi but I didn't have a good ending for that and this chapter was long enough as it is.

**In other news, sorry it took a day later than usual but w/e.**

**NOTE: the term "black panther" is interchangable with the black jaguar found in the jungles of South America. **

**Please point out any substantial spelling, grammar, or any other kind of mistakes and don't forget to REVIEW!!!**

**Stay sexy for me all you readers out there. **


	5. Pack Your Bags, Sexy

**God damn, I thought I really screwed up on chapter four when no one reviewed it for two days straight. Yeesh, I was freaking out. I'm also kinda wonderin' if I went a little too out there with the whole Harribel scene. And what the hell is with the login problems? That's why this chapter is late. **

**And for a double fuck up, I mixed up Soifon's eye color. Its black not brown. *smacks head* Oh well, I went back and edited it in the previous chapters. Not a big deal, I know but I'm a perfectionist. **

* * *

Seven clear, rainless nights had passed since the disastrous mission to Hueco Mundo. The details of which were known to only a select few who realized that divulging the true events regarding Tia Harribel, the latest _Tercera Espada_ who had fled into exile at the end of the Winter War, would result in both the lessening of the strength of the Gotei Thirteen and the loyalty of its Arrancar forces in the eyes of all Soul Society. And so, those who had asked about the four murdered operatives were informed that they had died fighting one of their targets during the series of assassination orders issued a week ago. Grimmjow Jeagerjaques did not like that one bit but unfortunately he had no choice regarding the matter but that didn't stop him from cursing under his breath as he walked away from his newly-instated morning routine of sparring with his Captain before doing paperwork.

_I wish they would've at least sent someone to collect the bodies or their swords and give some kind of burial rites. _

"It just pisses me off," he muttered to himself, causing Soifon to look over at him with vague interest as the two proceeded back into their office for the usual ritualistic maelstrom of flying ink and documents. "Thinking about what happened again?" The petite woman inquired blankly with a hint of sympathy lying under her reserved tone. She too was highly distraught by the situation and she had made it well known in the company of Yoruichi and her Vice-Captain after his wounds had mended themselves back into scarless tissue within almost a single night. It bothered her but she was relieved to know that her sometimes blunt and impassive second-in-command was showing that he cared about his division if only in a sense of honor.

"Yeah," Grimmjow replied gruffly, taking a seat behind his desk and kicking his legs up atop the wooden furniture before laying his hands behind his head. He raised his eyebrows slightly when he noticed his Captain standing idly in front of him with a barely discernable amount of thoughtfulness playing across an otherwise unreadable expression. "All we can do is keep them in our memories," she said somberly, locking the onyx pools that were her eyes with a pair of charged blue irises which she now found herself able to accomplish without looking away with a girlish embarrassment that had seriously wounded her pride whenever Grimmjow had taken advantage of her fixation with his eyes.

The relationship between the two officers had progressed at a remarkable pace within the ten days that they had known each other although it did remain unchanged in several areas. There was frustration residing within the both of them as they were each waiting for the other to make a move that would insinuate romantic interest, that area of their bond was still firmly deadlocked but that didn't mean that other significant changes hadn't occurred. It was an odd friendship they had but one that was distinctly theirs that came with mutual respect and understanding deep down but still carried a plethora of teasing, sexual suggestions, physical abuse, and many other things of the sort on the surface that strangely enough, brought them closer instead of straining their tolerance.

"I'm not lookin' to waste my thoughts on them, Shaolin." Grimmjow scoffed. "Just wish that they got their swords stuck on a mound somewhere is all. It makes me look bad when people whose lives are in my hands gotta die like that and then get their fucking corpses eaten by some scavenging weakling of a hollow," he growled lowly, running his fingers through his azure hair as Soifon nodded in understanding. "You'll get used to it," she began with a pained smile, "It happens a lot in the Onmitsukido."

_Still doesn't mean that it's right._

Coming to the conclusion that this was the best he could do on the hopeless subject, Grimmjow mumbled a sincere thanks that made his Captain's eyes flash with just the smallest bit of softness for a split-second before they froze over once more with a thin sheet of hard ice. He then got around to starting on his paperwork, something that was now a fiercely competitive sport, once Soifon moved to her desk and signaled for them to start the inevitable race to the bottom of the "to do" pile.

As hooded Stealth Force operatives walked briskly beside the accommodations of their superior officers, they couldn't help but do a double-take as their trained senses picked up the sound of a thousand sheets of paper sailing through the air.

Several minutes later, Grimmjow slammed his hands against his desktop in triumph and stood victoriously from his chair. He then walked with long casual strides over to Soifon who swore viciously as the rate in which she was completing her paperwork slowed into a defeated pace. "Seems like I'm buying breakfast this time," she grumbled, filling out the last document before setting the massive pile of stationary in front of her to a wire basket marked 'completed' where someone would stop by later to pick it up. She then stood up with a long stretch and looked tentatively over to the man who was now sitting on her desk with a satisfied smirk across his face.

"Where to?"

"You can pick this time, I don't really care where we go as long as it's good," Grimmjow said dismissively while he waved his hand loosely around the air in added emphasis to his apathy on the matter. "Fine then, we'll go to a noodle restaurant," Soifon informed her subordinate, quickly motioning for them to leave but as they neared the door the Captain winced as the sounds of a yawning woman and several slow footsteps came from the lounge. "Told ya she has a sixth sense about these kinds of things," her second-in-command said with a chuckle, amusement visible on his every feature when Yoruichi trudged into the room in a fatigued march.

Both officers turned to gaze over towards the dark-skinned assassin who was wearing only the black outer-layer of a Shinigami shihakushou in the fashion of a bathrobe. "I heard something about free breakfast," she uttered tiredly, cracking a heavy smile when her protégé's eye twitched involuntarily at the notion that she had the generosity to simply dole out the yen for anybody that caught wind of her plans. Then again, it was her friend after all and so with a heavy sigh, Soifon grudgingly welcomed the anamorphic woman to join her and her Vice-Captain to a late meal.

**………………..**

Once again in the commercial districts of Seireitei, the trio shared a small private booth at a rather high-end noodle shop where Soifon's rank carried its weight well enough to earn her a hefty discount. The satisfaction resulting from her fortune didn't carry over when it was time to decide seating arrangements however, leaving her sitting beside Grimmjow which she wouldn't have minded at all if Yoruichi hadn't been there to make every possible joke she could about the situation. Still, she kept her cool demeanor firmly in place in order to avoid egging on her former mentor in favor of receiving only a few comments of how "sexy" her ever-growing irritation was making her look in the teal eyes of her subordinate. By the time their food got there, she was so flustered by a recent joint-comment from Grimmjow and Yoruichi involving the risqué use of her exceptional acrobatic abilities that she hid her embarrassment in a bowl of udon.

"All I'm saying is that it seems like such a waste for a beautiful woman such as yourself to deprive the world of what must be some of the best sex out there," the former _Sexta Espada_ sighed with humorous depression, earning a flat gaze from his raven-haired superior over her bowl as he snickered to himself before indulging in his plate of assorted Chinese dumplings. "He's got a point," Yoruichi added in between eager mouthfuls of soba, "why _don't_ you live a little," she finished with a sly glint in her golden eyes as purple brows were raised repeatedly above them, serving only to further highlight the hint that was already clear as day to the mortified Captain. "I'd be more than cooperative if you needed me to assist you in getting back into the swing of things," Grimmjow purred seductively into his Commander's ear, laughing loudly when he saw her back stiffen at his words.

Unfortunately for him and much to the relief of Soifon who's chest was fluttering from the heat of his breath on the sensitive flesh of her ear, his mirth was interrupted by the unmistakable chime of a hell butterfly ringing through the awkward silence. Seconds later, the black insect flew languidly into their booth and landed atop one of Grimmjow's dumplings which resulted in a swear and a haphazard swat directed towards it while it relayed its message and flew back out of the restaurant.

"What was that about?" Soifon asked, half in interest and half in hopes of getting the subject away from sex with her fellow officer. As much as that may have been both secretly and frighteningly appealing to her, it wasn't something she wanted to discuss at the current stage of their relationship especially with Yoruichi around. "Nothing major, just someone asking a favor," Grimmjow grumbled before returning to his food, seemingly taking the bait until he swallowed a dumpling and looked back up at his Commander with a trademark smirk. "You're not dodging my invitation that easily."

Soifon banged her head on the table in defeat and let out a long groan, cursing the innate intelligence that her subordinate possessed that conflicted so much with his depraved and carefree image, something that he shared with a certain flamboyant senior officer and an exiled scientist; she couldn't stand either of them but there she was, infatuated with someone who had their common traits.

The rest of the breakfast proceeded as well as Soifon thought it could get with her two most perverted acquaintances in her company. Yoruichi had finally called off the slew of teases and suggestions after seeing that her friend had heard enough about the delicate subject, opting instead for what she deemed as "normal" conversation which turned out to be just Seireitei gossip.

When everything was eaten and paid for, the three exited the building and stood at the edge of a busy street in a small circle. "So what now?" Grimmjow questioned the two women in a bored tone, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning against a signpost. "Well now you get to do whatever you want for a little bit…we have to go to a meeting," Yoruichi stated apologetically while Soifon merely nodded her consent. "Go train or drink or something," she muttered with a stone face even though she too was slightly disheartened at having to leave the Arrancar by himself. "We're sorry," her mentor concluded, an exaggerated frown tugging her lips downward.

"Don't worry about it, I'm coming with you."

Both assassins shook their heads slowly and locked eyes with Grimmjow who was still smirking despite the scene. "No boys allowed," Yoruichi declared mockingly, her playful behavior making an immediate comeback before once again falling when she observed Grimmjow's mouth widening into an animalistic grin. "Shinigami Women's Association, right?" He began with a barely restrained laugh when he received a pair of wary nods. "I said don't worry about it. I got invited to fill in for someone." His weak hold over his amusement then broke as his eyes followed two large beads of sweat as they fell onto the ground. Yoruichi and Soifon couldn't even begin to imagine how the former _Espada_ would act around a group of attractive women in a setting that required him to sit still, having very different reactions after finally processing the information with only the former joining Grimmjow in his fit of laughter.

"Who in their right mind would ask you to substitute for them?" The petite Captain asked coldly, causing the humor to gradually dissipate from the atmosphere. "It was Nelliel," Grimmjow informed his superior with a chuckle. "She took a trip to Hueco Mundo yesterday to see her _fraccion_ and she said she wouldn't be back until after the meeting was over. So since the third division's Fukutaicho is in some men's club, he can't fill in for her and neither could Lilynette because she's apparently a member too so I got third pick. That's what that butterfly was for and I would've blown it off if you two weren't going to be there."

Soifon's face fell as the explanation finished. How the hell was her second-in-command supposed to deal with the pandemonium that would ensue when he entered the conference room with Rangiku Matsumoto present? With that thought, her eyes turned from ice to cold fire at the image of the bubbly Vice-Captain once again throwing herself at the blue-haired Arrancar. It was just one more thing she had found out in the ten days spent with Grimmjow that she was unbearably territorial towards other women lusting after her 'interests'. But there was little she could do to stop her Vice-Captain from doing something he thought would be entertaining short of knocking him unconscious which was something she wasn't so sure she could accomplish after their early morning sparring matches had revealed a little more of his true skill as a combatant. So with a weighted closed-eyed sigh, she surrendered herself to the inevitable disaster. "I'll race you to the eighth division's conference chamber," Soifon growled challengingly with a smirk that had clearly been rubbing off on her, dashing off with the gusty sound of shunpo.

Her plan hadn't exactly proceeded as she thought it would, clearly evident by the fact that Yoruichi and Grimmjow were now beside her, sailing blissfully through the sky as Seireitei was a blur beneath their feet. Over the past seven days, she had heard numerous stories about his months spent constantly training and testing himself with the Gotei Thirteen's senior Captains, the one thing that stood out from these recollections was that he had spent a considerable time with her mentor, arguably becoming a close second to her godlike speed.

"Grimmjow!" Soifon shouted over the summer breeze roaring past her, catching the attention of the leisured Arrancar. "Yeah, Shaolin?" He replied in his usual cocky baritone. "How fast were you during the war?"

The question gave him a carnal smile and elicited a high laugh that spread the ivory teeth of his mask fragment far apart. "Without my resurreccion…much faster than Kurosaki's Bankai," he stated proudly, his face contorted once again in a vicious smirk as he watched Soifon's eyes widen considerably.

_Faster than Kurosaki Ichigo's Bankai?! Faster than the speed that surpassed even Captain Kuchiki and that was before his training. The speed of his release as he is now…I can't even imagine it._

"Sonido is naturally faster but less maneuverable than shunpo," Yoruichi explained, breaking into a scowl when she realized that she was belittling her most prized attribute. With that unwanted revelation, her competitive side had been successfully sparked and she raced ahead of the other two only to have Grimmjow hot on her heels as the pair left a trail of countless afterimages and Soifon's jaw behind them.

Sooner rather than later, the trio which now consisted of two sulking second squad members and one grinning Cat Lady regrouped in front of a pair of Shoji doors inside the eighth division headquarters.

"You're lucky we don't meet inside the Kuchiki manor anymore. There's no way Byakuya would've let you stay," Yoruichi commented humorously as she leaned against the wall beside the entrance to the conference room. "Why's that?" Soifon asked curiously, turning to Grimmjow who made her uneasy when he grimaced slightly. "Eh…I got into a little scuffle with that sister of his during the war," he admitted, stretching his right arm behind his head in mock innocence. "The whole truth, Grimmjow," his Captain murmured dangerously, narrowing her eyes. "Well I sorta fucked her up pretty bad but damn it, we were opposite sides. The hell was I supposed to do? Not like I haven't apologized either and believe me I have…several times but she's seven kinds of pissed at me," he snarled angrily, turning his superior's hard gaze into a soft expression in record time.

He hadn't explained that he had gone out on his own volition to hunt every significant spiritual being in Karakura Town that night but that detail honestly didn't matter to him. It wasn't personal or even against the Shinigami, he was just looking for good fights and he couldn't just find a match with the other _Espada_, Aizen wouldn't have allowed that. So he simply went out to test his strength on the only outlet available and Rukia just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. This was all made painfully clear to Yoruichi and several Captains when he had been confronted after they had learned about it from the petite thirteenth division member.

"Don't know what that girl's problem is," Grimmjow started with a disgusted tone. "I beat the hell out of Ichigo a lot more than I did her and you could almost call us friends now. If people like us held a grudge against everybody we cut and everybody that cuts us in this fucked up afterlife then we'd all be pretty damn lonely," he finished, smiling in relief when Soifon shook her head in absolute understanding. "I knew I could count on you, Shaolin. Now how about getting inside, I hear a bunch of people already in there."

Yoruichi pushed herself from the wall at the notion and was the first one to enter but when her former student attempted to follow her, her arm was caught by a strong hand that forced her to turn around to see Grimmjow staring at her with none of his usual arrogance. In its stead, there was a solemn shimmer in his eyes that went surprisingly well with the green stripes below his lashes. "Thanks for understanding, Shaolin. Believe it or not, that means a lot to me when I talk about things like that," he said gratefully, completely catching Soifon off-guard with the degree of uncharacteristic sincerity that he was expressing. All she could do since her ability to speak was no more after meeting his eyes was let a light smile make its way unhinged to her lips as a slight blush tinged her cheeks.

Releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding when Grimmjow strolled past her and into the conference room, Soifon shook the fog out of her head and promptly followed into the familiar and yet highly unfamiliar atmosphere of the Shinigami Women's Association meeting.

Upon entering the rather spartan room, the second division Captain noticed two things. One: everyone except for Lilynette and Yoruichi was staring intently at Grimmjow and two: Byakuya Kuchiki was among them, emitting a tension from his dark blue eyes straight towards Grimmjow's own electric blue orbs that was almost visible.

_Of all the days for that girl to miss a meeting…_

Even Yachiru was silent, watching the constricting pressure around the small chamber grow with wide eyes and a childish 'O' formed around her mouth.

"Jeagerjaques-Fukutaicho."

Everyone deflated with a slow breath as Ise Nanao shuffled papers atop her podium, her glasses shining with undeterred focus as Grimmjow broke his staring contest to face her. "Call me Grimmjow," he asserted blandly, giving the woman a once over and deciding that his charm wasn't going to affect her in the least bit so he resigned himself to simply standing with his hands in his pockets. "The Chairwoman and I have been informed that you will be replacing the acting third division Taicho in this meeting. You may take any open seat under the condition that you contribute to this meeting as the woman you are replacing would," Nanao stated in her usual formal tone. "Not that hard to think like a kid," Grimmjow replied with a shrug before he maneuvered around the square conference table until he was sitting next to his Captain on the opposite side of Byakuya.

"Don't you dare start a fight," Soifon whispered into his hear once he was firmly seated, earning a wave of Grimmjow's hand that told her that he wouldn't unless someone came at him first.

_I wonder who would win in a fight between the two of them though._

Yoruichi, having a similar thought, inconspicuously leaned her head against her hand which was planted on the tabletop and stole a sideways glance at Byakuya who still hadn't taken his eyes off of her favorite Arrancar. And damn her if she didn't know the power behind that look, that stare was reserved for those precious few enemies of his that trampled on his pride as a nobleman. This was obviously a problem but she couldn't do anything at the moment. Reasoning wasn't an option ever since she had lost her status with exile, she wasn't considered to be on the same level as the man and therefore her opinions were rendered useless. Unfortunately, the only thing that would make him drop his vendetta was for Grimmjow to beat him in an honorable fight which there was no doubt in her mind that he could do. The only question was if he would leave alive or not.

_No, he's too smart to kill him. He knows he'd be executed in a heartbeat if he even tried it. Guess he'll just have to smack Byakuya-bo around a little and then all will be well. _

She giggled lightly and mirrored Grimmjow's pose of kicking her feet up on the table and leaning her head back in front of her arms, ignoring the scolding glare that the Vice-President was sending her and commencing the start of the meeting.

"Fortunately for us all," Nanao started with a tired sigh, "This meeting will be ending considerably shorter before our usual time due to the staggering amount of preparations still needing to be done preceding the beginning of tomorrow's second annual S.W.A. sponsored beach outing."

Yoruichi's feet left the tabletop, making her chair rock forward at such a velocity that she nearly hit her head as she stared aghast alongside Soifon at the Vice-Captain of eighth division. Spotting their reactions immediately, a very fast-acting Unohana Retsu was quick to fill them in. "I'm afraid that while you two were away with Grimmjow after the injuries he sustained last week, you hadn't appointed any substitutes to come to the meeting we held to vote on how to use our excess funds," she explained, making use of her feather-soft voice to calm even Byakuya by a meager amount. "And so we decided on taking a few days off to enjoy the weather in the Living World. I hope you three can join us."

"Three?" Soifon repeated in confusion after recovering from the sudden announcement while Yachiru was still bouncing around the room yelling "beach" at the top of her lungs. But before her senior officer could answer, she already knew who was being referred to. "Yes, we had thought about inviting the two male Arrancar to come with us since we have less people participating this year," Unohana answered calmly.

"Which brings us to today's first action," Nanao announced, effectively cutting off whatever Soifon was about to say only to in turn be rudely interrupted by a cold voice resounding through the conference room. "I object that decision," Byakuya declared glacially, earning a fiery glare from Grimmjow and to his surprise, both Yoruichi and Soifon as well, the latter carrying such a degree of heat in her eyes that it startled him.

"You oppose the participation of those two? On what grounds?" Unohana asked with by far the most unsettling tone that anyone in the chamber had heard her use for quite some time, causing them all to shudder but that didn't stop the Captain from expressing his views in his common regal monotone. "While your unit is specialized in healing and can function optimally with minimal guidance, Unohana-Taicho, fifth and second divisions are complex forces that require supervision in order to maintain themselves properly. I don't think it's wise to remove both Taicho and Fukutaicho from either division particularly when three of those four officers are only ten days into their campaign; such is it that I took it upon myself to assign my Fukutaicho to a position of temporary command over my division. In conclusion, taking those Arrancar is in my eyes, a needless reallocation of valuable military resources," Byakuya stated coolly, gaining several thoughtful expressions on his side but also many disturbing scowls amongst the table.

Grimmjow and Soifon looked at each other with the same irritated glower reflected on their faces. "Sorry you had to smell that, Shaolin," the former whispered dryly, eliciting a dark snicker from his superior. "Don't worry about it," she replied, glancing over her shoulder at the offending noble for a second. "You're coming with us."

_With me!_

"Looks like its time for amendment twenty-seven," Rangiku chimed through the uncomfortable silence, giving Grimmjow a playful wink before she turned to her Vice-President who nodded in confirmation. "Amendment twenty-seven?" Byakuya inquired unsettlingly, taking note of the growing feeling in his chest that he was about to be shot down hard. "Yes, amendment twenty-seven," Nanao repeated in finality as she pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "The twenty-seventh addition to the S.W.A. constitution states that matters concerning the participation of quote 'hot guys' unquote in the Association's activities will be decided democratically instead of a unanimous agreement.

Yes, the head of the Kuchiki house was most likely screwed from all angles.

"All in favor of barring Jeagerjaques Grimmjow from participating?" Nanao bellowed from her podium, taking notice of the many wry smirks around the table when only a single hand found its way into the air. "All opposed?" The sound of rustling shihakushou filled the room as nearly everyone's hand shot towards the ceiling. "I see. All in favor of barring Starrk-Taicho from participating?" Now two hands were up, the second and Byakuya's only ally coming in the form of Lilynette. "No use asking for the obvious, I suppose," Nanao concluded.

With that matter decided, Unohana took it upon herself to ease the growing tension in the room once again. "We appreciate your concern over the well-being of the divisions, Kuchiki-san but I assure you that they can take care of themselves for two days. We will in fact be having six units with their top officers on leave, the other three will be divisions thirteen, nine, and eight since Ukitake-san, Abarai-san, and Kyouraku-san will be joining us," she said sweetly, immediately followed by a horrified gasp from the Vice-President. "You never told me _HE_ would be coming!" She seethed, burying her face in her hands at the image of what Kyouraku Shunsui would attempt to do while she was wearing a swimsuit.

Unohana witnessed this with a soft giggle and took the liberty of taking charge of the meeting after the usual spokeswoman was rendered too terrified to continue. "Now that everything is cleared up, let's edit the final roster, hm?" She asked in a tone that left no room for argument. Seeing that everybody, even Grimmjow was paying attention to her now albeit out of the corner of his nearly-closed eyes, she began reading off from a document in front of her. "Unfortunately, Kurosaki-san and his friends won't be joining us due to school-related activities and since we only have a narrow timeframe of sunny weather in the Human World according to several news sources, we couldn't alter the vacation date to accommodate them. Taking this into account, I will read the edited list of participants."

"_Myself, Unohana Retsu_

_Madame President Kusajishi Yachiru_

_Vice-President Ise Nanao _

_Soifon-Taicho_

_Kuchiki-Taicho_

_Hitsugaya-Taicho_

_Ukitake-Taicho_

_Kyouraku-Taicho_

_Abarai-Taicho_

_Acting Taicho Starrk_

_Acting Taicho Nelliel_

_Kurotsuchi-Fukutaicho_

_Kotetsu-Fukutaicho_

_Third Seat Kotetsu_

_Hisagi-Fukutaicho_

_Acting Fukutaicho Lilynette_

_Matsumoto-Fukutaicho_

_Shihouin Yoruichi-san_

_Kuchiki-Fukutaicho_

…_and who could forget Grimmjow-Fukutaicho"_

"Damn right, Mama," The aforementioned Arrancar shouted in approval much to Byakuya's chagrin and Soifon's mirth as well as bewilderment directed towards what her second-in-command had called the senior officer. "Now, now Grimmjow, I thought I told you to refrain from using such language around sensitive ears," Unohana scolded softly. Her face, despite how cherubic it looked, scared the hell out of most of the people in the room while the blue-haired Arrancar muttered a chaste apology with a wide smirk. Meanwhile, everyone else was wondering just what exactly compelled the fourth division Commander to drop her habitual use of honorifics and be on such friendly terms with the former _Sexta Espada_.

"Alright, Mama. Sounds like we're in a rush so let's get this over with," Grimmjow declared with the sort of carnal enthusiasm that bared one and a half sets of sharp teeth and further frightened several of the Association's more dainty members. Other than that, the meeting picked back up with reports coming in from Nemu and Rangiku concerning a five dozen order of watermelon hollows and the shopping schedules respectively, both of which bored Grimmjow considerably until he was asleep in his chair by the time Unohana had started speaking again.

His cat nap proved to be short-lived soon after. "Get up!" Soifon growled, landing a precise strike at the base of her subordinate's neck sent a jolt of pain up to his hair and equal discomfort up his Captain's arm from the resistance of his _hierro_. "The hell was that for, Shaolin," he grumbled through gritted teeth while he rubbed his abused flesh. While he was in a moderate deal of pain, his amusement soon dulled whatever excruciation was left when he spotted Soifon tenderly massaging her fingers. "Gotta use a fist next time, beautiful." The Arrancar chided humorously before he noticed that everyone in the room was standing up and nearing the exit. "Shut it."

"Make me."

"Bastard."

"Sexy."

Yoruichi monitored the verbal sparring match from her position behind the two, standing cross-armed with a feline smirk on her face as she watched her two friends go at it, eventually resulting in both she and Grimmjow laughing hysterically while Soifon blushed in embarrassment and anger.

"Grimmjow," A soothing voice called out, causing the trio to stop what they were doing and turn to face the fourth division Captain who was standing off to their right, smiling warmly. "Yeah, Mama?" The teal-eyed Arrancar replied hesitantly, once again making Soifon wonder why he chose to call her that. "We're going shopping in the Human World, I would appreciate it if you would come with us and help with the preparations for tomorrow," Unohana articulated pleasantly, broadening her smile after the Vice-Captain answered with a curt nod. "Sure thing, I could use a change of scenery…especially one that includes seeing Shaolin in a swimsuit."

Catching a wink and fighting off another unwanted flush to preserve her pride, Soifon let a guttural sound coming from deep within her chest warn everyone in the room to ignore her second-in-command. "Let's go then," she ordered, storming out from her seat only to stop right after she passed Byakuya standing near the shoji doors and backtracked to face him. "Oh, Kuchiki-Taicho, I almost forgot about you," she muttered coldly, gaining his attention and a pair of narrowed eyes that looked down at her with such superiority that it made her blood boil. "Next time you deem it necessary to step around the truth, please try not to tread on the good name of my division by projecting the inadequacy of yours upon it."

And with that, Byakuya Kuchiki who had always been kept in neutral regard in the eyes of Soifon was now sliding towards the far extreme of her bad side as she exited the conference room.

In the meantime Grimmjow was grinning wickedly as he followed behind her. "Shaolin get the fu-" He glanced behind him at Unohana and stopped himself short of offending the comely woman and bringing her wrath down on his head. "Get back here so I can kiss ya!"

**………………..**

Nearly an hour and a trip to Karakura Town via Senkai Gate later, everyone from the trip's roster were in Gigai and split by gender inside of a large department store near the coast. They were instructed to buy a bathing suit or two if they needed one as well as pick up several outfits pertaining to modern fashion which was easy enough for the women but the men on the other hand…

"I'm not wearing that damn thing!" Hisagi shouted at the top of his lungs, his eye twitching involuntarily at the sight before him. "Why not? It's practically made _for_ you," Renji persisted with a menacing grin, stretching a bright purple Speedo with the number sixty-nine in black bold letters printed on the back in front of his subordinate's face. "No way, not even if you ordered it," the Vice-Captain retorted to his superior, casting his eyes firmly to the side where he jumped when he locked eyes with Rangiku who was peering uncomfortably close into the scene. "I agree with him, Hisagi. I think it's perfect for you."

"What are those idiots over there yelling about," Soifon grumbled to her mentor who was currently looking at a tasteful black two-piece. "Who cares? …Hey, try this on for me over there," The dark-skinned goddess requested airily, pointing over to a small changing stall and not waiting for a reply as she pushed her protégé over to the enclosed area. "Nothing pink this time?" The other assassin asked incredulously with no trace of humor to be found within her icy tone, grudgingly taking the swimwear by the hanger and locking the thin wooden door behind her. "'Course not, Grimm hates that color. I can't believe you actually wore that thing last year."

A loud groan could be heard from behind the changing room's wooden shutters along with the rustling of clothes. "So what, he likes black? I always thought white was his favorite color," Soifon called out, attempting to sound as disinterested as possible. "Well aren't you quite the observer," Yoruichi commented mockingly. "If white's his favorite then black is a close second. It's a _sexy_ color plus white wouldn't look good with your skin tone and it doesn't highlight what you've got like black does," she informed her friend matter-of-factly. "What I've got?" the Captain repeated. "What have I got?"

"I'll tell ya when you get out of there."

Minutes went by in silence as the petite Commander of the Onmitsukido took the liberty of trying on the rest of the clothes she had picked out for herself. "So…" she began hesitantly. "Why does Grimmjow treat Unohana-senpai the way he does?"

Yoruichi glanced over to the closed door with a thoughtful expression and leaned against the wall next to it. "Kind of a long story but here it goes. I'll start of by saying that Grimm wouldn't be where he is now without Unohana-san's influence in Central Forty-Six's final decision over the integration of Arrancar and so he owes her a lot but he calls her "Mama" for a bigger reason. You see when we first started this whole thing six months ago; he was forced to live underground in Kisuke's training room and in other various places around Karakura under the close supervision of your four senior Captains as well as myself. During that time, we learned a lot about each other and grew into sort of a family if you'll bear with me here," she began with a happy sigh, picking up on the cessation of activity in the changing room.

"The thing you have to understand about him is that he was a Hollow once and Hollow's aren't born like you and me; they've never had exposure to anything like family. And so when the four of them became Arrancar, they were capable of forming emotions and feelings like Shinigami. So it was only natural that they collect parental figures out of a sort of void left in their hearts. As you can probably guess from here, Unohana-san in all her kindness and generosity became their surrogate mother so to speak. Grimmjow's the only one of them to actually call her on that but I'm positive it's just the same as the nicknames he gives everyone."

There was a pregnant pause in the air as audible activity resumed inside the changing room. "I see…" Soifon whispered with newfound respect for the senior officer and a small soft spot for her Vice-Captain which quickly went up in smoke. "How come I don't get a nickname?"

"Because he thinks your real name is sexier than anything he can come up with and he didn't want to call you anything else," Yoruichi countered humorously, imagining the unrestrained blush that was on the other side of the door. Her string of suppressed giggles was cut short when the barrier opened to reveal her former student in the swimsuit that she had picked out for her. "Whoa," she uttered with her eyes widened slightly while she approached the woman before her and studied her top to bottom. "I didn't realize you were still growing."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean," Soifon seethed, gritting her teeth when her mentor simply ignored her and continued to ogle her body. The boiling point came when a daring finger poked her chest. "What the fuck are you doing, Yoruichi?!"

"Just making sure you aren't stuffing like a _certain someone_," the anamorphic ex-Captain mused, putting her thumb up in approval. "That suit last year must've been too tight; I don't remember them being that big. You're definitely going to make the kitty purr looking like that tomorrow." All the heat from Soifon's eyes moved down to her cheeks at that comment, showing Yoruichi a side of her that she hadn't seen in over a century.

She was shy.

This assumption was further verified when she reached back into the room and quickly threw on a simple black blouse that could have easily passed as a T-shirt and a pair of form-fitting jeans to cover her exposed flesh. "You think he'd really go for me during the trip," she asked in a low voice. Luck wasn't on her side however as a familiar head of blue hair blocked Yoruichi from answering. The two still weren't used to seeing Grimmjow in a Gigai.

The Arrancar in question stood in front of them with his hands in the pockets of his baggy jeans and an unbuttoned white shirt hanging loosely from his shoulders with the sleeves rolled up in his usual fashion. Possibly the most striking of his features was the absence of his mask fragment and hollow hole, leaving the now-completed abdominal muscles out in the open for the world to see. "Yo ladies," He grumbled, obviously not enjoying his new body even though he had special modifications done to leave the marks under his eyes and the _Espada _tattoo on his back which upset several officers to no end…probably the reason he did it. "Damn thing's still stiff."

"You'll get used to it," Yoruichi chirped sympathetically, sparing a sideways glance to Soifon who was having a tough time regulating fluids to her mouth at the sight of her Vice-Captain in human clothes. "Don't understand why I even have to wear clothes in the first place if all we're doin' is going to the beach," Grimmjow spat, causing Yoruichi to whole-heartedly agree with him and Soifon to look like she was going to have a nosebleed from viewing the random slideshow of images scrolling through her mind. Fortunately, she was brought back to reality by the piercing blue eyes of her subordinate. "Why don't you wear clothes like that more often, Shaolin. It ain't every day I get to see more skin then your pretty face and your hands since ya haven't even worn that Onmitsukido uniform lately," he stated with genuine interest, moving around to her back and crouching down to have a better look at one of the defining parts of her anatomy. "Not bad at all. This is the first time I've seen your ass by the way."

After catching an elbow with his face, Grimmjow rose to his feet with his usual smirk stained by a small trickle of blood running down his lips which he promptly brushed off onto a shirt hanging on a nearby rack. "I hope it was worth it," Soifon growled, spinning around to remove her backside from her second-in-command's field of vision. "I'd do it again even if ya hit me twice," he answered comically, preparing for another strike until Captain Unohana walked up to him wearing a blue sundress with white floral patterns. "Grimmjow, are you by any chance done picking out your clothes yet?" She asked politely, forcing the many types of tension in the air to shatter under her tone. "Yeah, Mama. Got somethin' for me to do"

"Yes, I do. Would you please go visit Urahara-san and pick up several items we've ordered from her for tomorrow."

"Sure, I'll be back before ya know it. Just don't go anywhere so I can find you," Grimmjow said with a small smile that still managed to make him look like he had a lust for blood. He then turned to his superior and dug brought his hand out of his pocket to produce a small pill which he popped into his mouth, leaving his body to fall limply on top of Soifon who shrugged it off angrily so that it fell into a heap on the floor. "Empty substitute soul pills," the Arrancar informed the three women from his soul form. "Sorry for the inconvenience but I don't like the idea of some idiot personality stepping on my image. Anyway, feel free to loosen up a little and practice some on my Gigai to prepare you for the real thing, Shaolin," he concluded, dodging a punch deftly and speeding out of the department store in a burst of static.

**……………….**

"Ah, Grimmjow. What brings you to my humble candy store on such a fine day?" Urahara Kisuke shouted jovially, gesturing for the man before him to come inside as he shut the shoji doors so that no unwanted visitors would enter. "Have a seat, will you?"

He pointed down to a low table where two cups of tea were sitting at opposite ends. "I'm playing errand boy for a couple'a fine ladies for a beach trip," Grimmjow answered with a smirk, sitting down on a small cushion and looking quizzically at the tea. "This how ya treat all your customers, Candyman?"

"No, no," Urahara began with a laugh. "This is how I treat an equal. A man as perverted as I who possesses the charm capable of making his fantasies come true to bed every woman lucky enough to catch his eye," he explained, getting a chuckle out of Grimmjow. "Two of a kind, huh? Too bad I can kick your ass up and down the basement or else I might actually respect you. And I guess you weren't counting on me being here since you have tea out. Ya know I only drink milk and alcohol."

Both men were now bearing unhinged grins although one was obscured by a folding fan. "I think you would find it to your liking if you gave it a chance," Urahara suggested, tilting his striped bucket hat down so that only his eyes were visible below it and above the fan, observing when Grimmjow shrugged and took a sip of the seemingly harmless beverage. What happened next caused the shop owner to burst into hysterics when the Vice-Captain nearly spit out the liquid and swallowed it quickly before taking a large breath and snickering in admiration. "Fuck, that's strong. What the hell did you spike it with?" He asked, clearly impressed as he took another swig from the small cup.

"Secret recipe. Now tell me, how are you finding Seireitei, Grimmjow?"

"Lots of women and I can do whatever the hell I want, it's great."

"Ooh, any noteworthy females fallen victim to _Los Pantera_?"

"Well…I'm workin' on one?"

"And who would that be if I may be so bold to ask?"

"My Taicho."

The room suddenly went silent except for the sound of Urahara's fan falling with a clack onto the floor. "You must be joking?" He reasoned with a drawn out chuckle which subsided when he saw the wild smirk aimed in his direction. "You're not joking…are you out of your _mind_! Soifon? My old Fukutaicho?! That is one woman that even men such as us cannot hope to win over," the eccentric shop owner yelled, throwing his hands up in the air to emphasize his point. "What if I already told you that I was halfway there," Grimmjow contemplated slyly from under his cup, taking a long drink and watching with obvious amusement as his friend's jaw landed on the table with a loud thud. "How dare you lie to this modest shopkeeper," he murmured in mock offense, raising his hat to retract the shade covering his eyes.

"I assure you, Candyman," Grimmjow began, draining his "tea" and setting the cup hard against the tabletop. "I don't fuck with you, not when it comes to women and this one has my full attention and maybe…just maybe she could be the one that sticks around for a while if ya get what I'm gettin' at."

Over his long lifetime, Urahara Kisuke had witnessed and heard of so many outlandish things that he had yet to be truly shocked for the last couple of decades until now that is. "You my friend are one truly amazing specimen of a man," he remarked in a mix of mirth and amazement, downing the contents of his own teacup after he had finished speaking. "Would you mind if I borrowed your brain and ran a few tests on it for the night?"

Grimmjow laughed loudly at the ex-Captain's antics until he saw the familiar glint of his businessman sense spark in the center of his eyes. "Well then, Grimmjow. As a firm supporter of your planned conquest over the current head of the Onmitsukido, is there anything of mine you would be interested in buying to make the transition a little more smooth?"

"I'm glad ya asked that, Kisuke because I actually had a few things in mind and one special order I'll be needing soon."

"Well you're in luck Jeagerjaques-Fukutaicho because the S.W.A. forgot to take into account my bulk order discounts when they paid in advance last week so I'm feeling rather generous."

"Nice to hear…so what do you know about Spanish guitars?"

**………………..**

It was at the cusp of the late afternoon when Grimmjow appeared in a flash out in front of the department store where he found that several people had already headed back to Seireitei, leaving only those who hadn't finished shopping and the select few that stayed behind solely to wait for him. Carrying several large boxes and a tiny bag over to Captain Unohana who stood up from the bench she was sitting on and walked over to him after gesturing for Renji and Hisagi to join her.

"Would you two please take these to the building on our rented property, please?" She asked sweetly. Well the ninth division officers certainly couldn't refuse a voice like that and so they eagerly grabbed the boxes and vanished in the gusty sound of shunpo, leaving Grimmjow with only the small paper bag in his hands. "Want some chocolate, Mama?" He asked humorously, unfolding plastic tab sealing the container and holding it out to the smiling woman. "I'd love some, Grimmjow."

Following the exchange, the two moved back to the row of benches at the side of the busy street and sat down next to Yoruichi and Soifon, the former immediately jumping on the bag once she had found that it was milk chocolate. "Want some," Shaolin?"

Grimmjow passed the bag over to his Captain who looked at it with a puzzled expression before narrowing her eyes at the blue-eyed hybrid and hesitantly reaching into the bag to pull out a piece. Looking at it, she could tell why her subordinate had offered it to her in such a nonchalant manner. It was in the shape of a wooden clog. But it was still chocolate and good tasting chocolate at that so she did what any sane person would do and popped it into her mouth. "You idiot, you left me to drag your body out _and_ pay for your clothes which you left on the counter," she muttered through chews, finding it hard to stay angry after he had given her the food of romance. At that thought, she nearly gagged and looked over to see him staring at her with a distasteful expression directed towards himself.

"Ah, didn't mean to make you buy 'em. Sorry about that, Shaolin. How much was it?" He inquired seriously, merging into his Gigai who was slumped over the bench and pulling several notes from his pockets. "Don't worry about it, Grimmjow." Soifon mumbled dismissively. "Besides, I tossed the receipt already."

Without another word, Grimmjow stood from the bench, navigating through the maze of clothes boxes around it and walked back into the department store and sauntered up to the counter where the female clerk smiled at him pleasantly. "Yo, there was a sexy woman in here a little while ago buyin' some men's clothes. Black hair, long braids, lookin' like she could break off the pride of the male anatomy with two fingers. Could you tell me the total of all the men's clothes?" He asked not so discreetly, sparing a glance over to the doors where Soifon marched in angrily. "I'm sorry sir but we're not allowed to divulge that kind of information," the clerk stated apologetically just as the Captain sided next to the man in front of her.

"I told you don't worry abou-"

"Relax, she won't tell me anyway…"

"Good!"

"…yet."

Soifon could only watch as her Vice-Captain strode around the counter and caused the woman to back into a wall where he placed his hand against the hard surface next to her head and leaned his mouth towards her ear, whispering so softly that the trained senses of the head of the Onmitsukido couldn't even pick up any coherent words.

One minute later, Grimmjow was back at her side with a smirk and the clerk was at a nearby computer terminal with a crimson flush spread wide across her entire face. She then wrote a number down on a piece of paper and slid it over to the Arrancar who looked it with bored eyes and tossed several bills onto the counter. He then lead Soifon out of the store with his hand on hers, threatening to spread the clerk's flush to her own cheeks as he walked out into the street next to her.

"What did you say to that poor woman?"

"What I said to her is what I was thinking about doing to you."

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: heehee, I had fun writing this chapter. And hooray for the beach! I love writing fanfics that take place on the beach, I'm better with imagery there than I am with most other environments. Also, I'm having trouble reading reviews from chapter four due to how fucked up is being right now. All I can see is the number which is half as much as chapter three lulz. I must've screwed up with that chapter after all.

**Review this chapter to convince me that I haven't failed you, my loyal reviewers…wherever you may have absconded to.**

***tear***


	6. Interlude I: Catch Me Kiss Me

Sunshine was scarce around Seireitei as the yellow orb in the sky dipped halfway under the horizon line, painting the twilight with vibrant oranges and crimsons while leaving a dark violet hue lingering just above a trio of figures sitting leisurely at the edge of Soukyoku Hill.

"Sure is beautiful," Yoruichi commented airily, breaking the peaceful dusky ambience momentarily and receiving a pair of grunts in agreement from her two favorite Onmitsukido officers who were seated next to her. The three simply laid back lazily and enjoyed the view, something very uncharacteristic for the resident Captain, claiming that it was her "bastard subordinate's" fault for passing on his bad habits.

They stayed as such for several more minutes until the dark-skinned goddess leapt to her feet and clapped her hands together, startling Soifon and bringing Grimmjow back from the edge of slumber. "I have an idea!" She exclaimed excitedly, ignoring the weary expressions shot her way. "Who's up for an old-fashioned game of Shihouin tag?"

Her face fell when the immediate positive responses she was expecting never came. Instead Soifon looked over to her second-in-command with a questioning gaze. "I'm up for it if you are," she muttered with slight hopefulness hiding just behind her usual reserved tone. "I don't even know what the hell it is Cat Lady's asking," Grimmjow replied lethargically, leaning back once more to put his head on his hands only to be interrupted when his superior tugged him back into an upright position. "Rules are simple," Yoruichi began with a sly smile. "One person is designated as 'it' and whoever that is has to catch one of the other players via shunpo…or sonido. When the 'it' catches another player, he or she has to land a solid hit on that person and if successful, that person becomes the new 'it' and the process is repeated until we get tired. Oh, and don't use weapons or _resurreccion _and we won't use shunkou. Understand?" She asked in conclusion, gaining a slow nod from her blue-haired audience.

"So it's a game of speed, huh?" Grimmjow stated with a competitive smirk. "Alright, I'm in," he declared, rising to his feet and looking at the two women in front of him for what to do next. "I thought you'd see things my way, we'll play down in that forest below the cliff," the ex-Captain announced, gesturing to the side where a sheer drop led to the sight of dense arbor below Soukyoku Hill. "And since this is your first time playing, you get to be 'it' first," Soifon remarked with a bitter humor, that evaporated when she observed the Arrancar's smirk grow to twice its usual size, revealing his unnaturally sharp teeth. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Shaolin."

"Just keep in mind that the best defense and offense in this game is to hide your reiatsu and move only when you have to keep the other players from knowing where you are," Yoruichi explained solemnly as Soifon jumped off of the side of the large rock formation and disappeared into the treeline with her twin braids whipping behind her head. "Count to thirty and come out running, Grimm."

With the rules taken care of, Yoruichi gave her friend a playful wink and motioned to leave before the next thing she heard caused her to stumble.

"What about me, can I use shun-"

"NO!"

Grimmjow snickered to himself as he watched a purple length of hair slip under the cliff face, beginning his countdown when he could no longer sense any familiar reiatsu.

_Thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight._

…

_Three, two, one!_

A buzz of sonido reverberated through the night air and the game was on with a vengeance as Grimmjow blasted through the forest in a blatant example of how much he disregarded Yoruichi's advice, weaving through countless trees at mach speed and deftly leaping off of branches to propel himself even faster. The way he figured, the woodlands were small enough around the constricting edges of Seireitei's residential districts that he only needed to run around until he found Yoruichi or preferably Soifon. At least it sounded good enough in his head and so for the time being, the Vice-Captain entertained himself by sprinting along the base of the old execution grounds at the limits of his unreleased speed. Unfortunately for him, Covert Ops Captains weren't as easy to find as he originally thought they were so he did what any stealth operative would've done in his situation and used the best tool for the job even if it felt like cheating a little.

Halting atop of a sturdy tree branch and closing his eyes, Grimmjow took a deep breath and moved his _pesquisa_ everywhere around his position, spotting two small barely noticeable sparks of reiatsu surprisingly near each other. "Stickin' together, huh? Or are you hiding so well that you can't even find each other?" He mused with a critical look on his face, spitting off to the side punctually before flying leisurely in the air to a spot between the tiny flames. The former _Espada_ then swept his hand through his hair and shot down into the hard sun-baked earth, sending dirt and roots rocketing into the sky and dual flashes of black and purple scattering in opposite directions.

_Sorry, beautiful but you're the slower one…that and you're just too damn cute when I tackle you._

The ivory gleam of a carnal grin was imprinted into the atmosphere endlessly in the form of an army of afterimages as Grimmjow streaked after his raven-haired Commander, chasing her ignited reiatsu until he was dashing through foliage beside her.

Soifon spared a glance over to her pursuer and cursed under her breath at the realization that he was toying with her, bringing about a surge of anger that quickly turned into shock when something hard collided into her side, sending her rolling through the forest at breakneck momentum along with the heavy object.

Seemingly a full minute later, she slid to a standstill in a small meadow of wildflowers growing around the nearby trees which were illuminated faintly in the ethereal glow of the waning sunset.

Opening the onyx pools that were her eyes after she had closed them reflexively during the trip through the arbor, the petite woman was taken aback when all of the dizziness from the tumultuous roll left her instantly at the sight of Grimmjow looming like a predator over her body. "Yo, Shaolin," he greeted mirthfully, knowing full well that he was being stared at. That was about the only thing Soifon could do in her current slightly-disoriented position, look at the man in front of her and the way that the sun's final defiant rays of light highlighted the chiseled features of his face and reflected dully from his mask fragment. Her face flushed slightly with embarrassment from the nostalgia, desperately fighting to regain her lost sense.

"Looks like you're it, Beautiful," the Vice-Captain chided, finally bringing her back to reality. She looked up at him with an unidentifiable expression and cocked her head to the side. "Only if you manage to get the last hit," Soifon muttered softly, motioning to move and widening her eyes when a pair of strong arms pinned her wrists over her head but she wasn't one to lose so easily, point proven by the glancing blow she landed with her knee on Grimmjow's ribs. She smirked coldly when he hissed in pain, struggling to no avail against his iron grip however, resulting in him mirroring her with an upturn of his lips as he moved his face much closer to her than her mind could currently handle. "I like a woman who doesn't know how to quit," he breathed lowly, startling the captive beneath him with the heat of his eyes.

His superior felt her eyes fall into half-lidded slits behind the raw feelings expressed in the piercing blue orbs hovering only inches above her. All control, all ice, and all higher thought processes fell away from her, feeling a lurch in her chest when he brought his right hand away from her arm to grab a fistful of her hair and push her steadily closer to him until she resigned herself completely to uninhibited instincts, allowing her eyelids to close completely, her lips to part expectedly, and-

"GO GET 'ER, KITTY!"

Soifon's eyes shot open with such malice that it made Grimmjow flinch mentally, causing his grip on the enraged woman to loosen and being pushed off of her. The only thing he managed to do was observe her reiatsu pour out from her body angrily in crackling silver waves that looked as if they were going to physically manifest themselves and tear apart the dark-skinned assassin in front of them. It wasn't as if he too wasn't immensely pissed off at her interruption but he suspected that his Captain was in the state she was in for more than just one reason.

"Yoruichi," she seethed in cold fury, narrowing her eyes at the woman in question who took a hesitant step back into the forest before taking off in a gust of shunpo with howling laughter trailing behind her. "You get back here so I can fucking kill you!"

Soifon snarled with a degree of animosity that made her half-Hollow subordinate grin with pride.

Yet another blast of shunpo stirred up the flowers in the meadow and Grimmjow merely smirked, stuffing a hand into his pocket while the other picked up a black tulip and hung it in front of his face. Once he had his fill of the heady sent, he jumped to his feet and tore into the woods.

"YOU BITCH! NOW I GOTTA SLEEP IN THAT BIG FUCKING BED ALL ALONE AGAIN!"

**

* * *

**

Man, just can't catch a break with Yoruichi around. This is my idea of a cruel joke by the way. This event will tie in with the main story in its entirety in case you doubted its inclusion. Expect one more of these. I'm in a real bad writing environment right now so I'm just stalling but I actually like this so it turned out for the best, I suppose.

**Also the tulip is the second division's flower.**

**And now a very controversial reader response.**

**HitsugayaRangikuFTW: Let me just tell you that I have no intention of people going to the beach in black robes.**

**Anonymous Person: Thanks, I try. I really do but I'm only seventeen, I'm still getting there.**

**Who Knows Who I Am: Sometimes we all need to die a little to keep us in the human frame frame of mind. :P And yes, Grimmjow is good at everything that annoys people.**

**Lulz, I had to find someone to fight him and I didn't want to make an OC. Harribel was the only character that has a chance of not dying from the look of things in the manga and I needed to give her a reason so I made her crazy...just a little...barely noticeable with the stabby scenes. As for the second release, I would imagine that each one would be attained differently just the same as shinigami bankai. It would be pretty lame if everyone all needed to do the same thing.**

**For your chapter five review, yeah, it wouldn't be a ridiculous fight where Grimmjow beats him blind with no hands. And Rukia...well you'd be terrified of someone if they impaled you through the chest and put a cero at your head too. **

**Delectable: Okay, here we go. First thing: thanks a bunch for being honest about the mistakes. I'm bad with speech, I keep referencing novels to try to get a handle on it but perfect dialogue is my biggest writing challenge. **

**Now, I did what you said and re-read the fight but first let me say that I think you misread what I said in chapter five. I said that the hollow had gotten "good" shots not lucky shots like you pointed out. Anyway, speed-wise Grimmjow is proven faster than Byakuya easily by comparing their fights against Ichigo's bankai. If they get in a fight then it will all come down to if Byakuya has more skill than him. **

**Also, Ichigo could have killed Byakuya NUMEROUS times during the fight but he just felt like being a cocky bastard and didn't take advantage of his speed while he still had it before his body succumbed to battle-fatigue.**

**The one thing I do agree with you on is Grimmjow moving as fast as Yoruichi. It's a stretch, I know but I was never going for 100% realism here. Just trying to write something fun. As for him being too strong, I mean I put him in a situation where he would've died already. I don't think I can do anything more than that other than outright killing him to emphasize the fact that he isn't invincible. **

**Note: His speed has been toned down**

**Ah, thanks for the good debate and the review. Have a good one. :)**


	7. Interlude II: Sake Sex Talk

Silver light pierced through the darkened heavens over Soul Society unobstructed by the clear evening sky as the majority of Seireitei's residents were retiring to their beds. However, the night was still young in the tenth division's officer's quarters much to the chagrin of one Hitsugaya Toushiro.

"I wonder if Hinamori-chan will be alright without me and the Taicho while we're at the beach," Rangiku sighed, leaning her head back against the couch she was seated on and shooting the wooden panels of the roof a questioning look. "I wouldn't worry about her. She's gotten stronger ever since she recovered from Aizen's death," Yoruichi murmured from the other end of the piece of furniture while Grimmjow merely sipped on his saucer of sake from his spot on a rather tall white chair. "What about you, Grimm? How do you get over your losses?" The dark-skinned goddess asked solemnly, turning the attention over to the blue-haired Arrancar.

"Don't know what kind of insight you're expectin' to come from me," he began sourly, refilling his cup with a nearby jug of alcohol. "Never had any kind of attachments before I turned half Shinigami and even then, they weren't strong enough to affect a guy like me. So if I did lose something, it wasn't anything that a good fight, a round of sake, and a good rest next to a woman wouldn't fix." He let out a slow breath and scanned the dimly lit office with a lazy gaze as the two women stared at him sullenly. "Doesn't sound like you get over them at all," Yoruichi commented sympathetically, leaning from the couch with her golden eyes flickering softly in the light of the nearby lantern.

Grimmjow rubbed the back of his neck in an attempt to knead out an ache that didn't exist while he thought over his friend's words. "Maybe I don't," he admitted. "But it only makes you stronger if you can carry the pain with ya as you move forward. I don't really think about all that's happened to me too much anymore. It might be because of this hole in my stomach but I don't get too sentimental during the times I lay back and realize just how fucked up my life's been up until now."

The room went silent for several pregnant moments after he had finished speaking, choosing now to rest his head on a loose fist and furrow his brow. "But…I guess there's always been one thing that I can't punch, drink, and fuck my way out of," Grimmjow whispered pensively, causing his audience to sit upright in interest. "I don't think I've ever gotten over the loss of my real name," he finished earnestly. "You don't know your own name?" Rangiku asked incredulously, earning a raised eyebrow as her immediate answer. "'Course I don't, who the hell would name their kid Jeagerjaques Grimmjow? I lost all my memories when I died in the Living World and became a hollow…then I…I don't remember how but I came up with this name and it just stuck to me ever since," he replied.

Once again, the office was immersed in the ambience of a melancholy thoughtfulness. "That's so sad," Yoruichi breathed after a full minute, her eyes narrowing when Grimmjow scoffed audibly. "Don't worry about it, Cat Lady. I can keep on livin' without knowing something like that. Just be lucky you two know your names and leave it at that; this isn't the kinda thing I want to be talking about over good sake anyway," he stated with a contagious smirk.

"Then tell us," Yoruichi started mockingly, "what would you like to talk about?"

"I want to know why you thought it'd be funny to interrupt me and Shaolin earlier," the Vice-Captain growled, ignoring the startled gasp coming from Rangiku. "Interrupt what? Oh, tell me! I want to know!" She declared excitedly, bouncing up and down on the sofa in anticipation. "Sorry, Tree Lady but I would have something to tell you if Cat Lady hadn't interfered. Because of her, I'm sitting over here bitching about my past instead of having my Taicho screaming my perfectly fine name into my ceiling," Grimmjow mumbled angrily before glancing up in confusion at a pair of golden eyes that were strangely devoid of the humor he had been expecting to find alongside a laugh or two.

Meanwhile, Yoruichi was shooting her friend a stern face, tuning out the tenth division Third Seat's continuous objections over her nickname. "I did it because you said that you would wait for her to make the first move and you clearly weren't going to allow that to happen back in those woods," she explained edgily. But her current serious mood didn't last long when Grimmjow nodded in understanding and folded his legs with his hands behind his head in a lazy pose. "Ooh, details!" Rangiku inquired slyly after a sip of cold sake.

"I was just going to kiss her, that's all," the blue-eyed hybrid muttered defensively, frowning heavily when he only received a mirror set of skeptical expressions. "You never "just kiss" anybody, Grimm," Yoruichi countered humorously, eliciting a giggle from her female companion. "Alright, so what if I was going after her? You couldn't let me just get in one little kiss and hold me off later?" Grimmjow snarled. "Now I bet Shaolin isn't going to give me another chance for another decade with the way her mind works."

He upturned his lip to a reveal a gleaming canine as his supposed friends were laughing at him. "Oh well, you can always come find me if you ever stop chasing Soifon-Taicho," Rangiku suggested sultrily, bringing her arms together to pronounce her already attention-seeking chest. Both Yoruichi and Grimmjow looked at each other in amusement and then back at the Vice-Captain with equal amounts of mirth. "What?" She pouted in annoyance, folding her arms dramatically and leaning back against the couch. "Let me tell you this from personal experience…you can't handle him," the anamorphic assassin chided.

Rangiku's bottom lip only stuck out more at this. "What do you mean by that? Of course I can-" Her eyes widened as the gravity from the last statement finally hit her. "You two didn't?" She questioned disbelievingly, breaking out into a high laugh when two identical cat-like grins entered her vision. "We did."

A high-pitched squeal echoed through the office, effectively shattering the comfortable air around the room. "Second division gets all the luck," Rangiku stated in childlike jealousy.

"So…" she began after a miniscule pause, her eyes taking on a mischievous glint. "Why am I not allowed to share the experience, Shihouin-dono? Why can't a woman like me handle a man like him?" The Vice-Captain pried as she crossed her legs and stared at Grimmjow intently, gaining a carnal smirk from the former _Sexta_. "Because," Yoruichi announced cryptically. "When kitty pounces, he pounces hard and he isn't shy about using his claws and fangs," she concluded suggestively, observing Rangiku's obvious intrigue at that little piece of information. "Oh really, is that all? Because I think a big girl like me can handle teeth and nails."

"More along the lines of two dislocated shoulders, a fractured collarbone, deep lacerations, and severe blood loss," Yoruichi corrected, her eyes closed knowingly. When she opened them she couldn't help but laugh as the rosy flush on Rangiku's cheeks had drained away with almost all the color on her face. "But of course that was only the first time and it was never that bad again after I learned I had to beat him up too to save myself," she continued with a snicker. "It's definitely worth it if you survive though."

Yoruichi sighed in remembrance and threw her back against the sofa. Looking over to the strawberry blonde, she stifled another chuckle at the sight of her jaw hanging unhinged. "I've finally found people kinkier than me," Rangiku remarked in an awed whisper. "Now, now. You'll always be the most perverted one here," the ex-Captain said comfortingly, patting her friend's knee. "But don't think that you won't have to defend your title during the four days down at the beach. Because when Shaolin finally comes around…Seireitei isn't going to know what hit it," Grimmjow interjected, jokingly threatening the busty woman's most sacred epithet as one of the most depraved Shinigami in all of Soul Society.

The trio laughed heartily at that, only subsiding when the sound of a door flying open shook them away from their mirth and caused them all to look over at a fuming Toushiro Hitsugaya who was clothed in a light blue yukata. "Matsumoto!" He growled dangerously, jabbing a finger towards his Vice-Captain. "Do you have any idea what time it is? Its after midnight and you're drinking and throwing a party inside my office when I'm trying to rest for that ridiculous trip tomorrow," the tenth division officer shouted, causing the woman to flinch while Yoruichi and Grimmjow took the scene as their cue to leave.

"Oh," the latter muttered aloud, turning back to face Rangiku who was shamefully cleaning up the sake and dishes from around the room. "Tell anybody about what we talked about and I'll eat you, Tree Lady," he warned in a playful tone that was contradicted by the ferocious look in his eyes that made even Toushiro shiver when he glanced up at the new commotion.

With that, the two friends left the tenth division office in a supernatural breeze of wind and static. And as they sailed through the dark skies of over Seireitei en route to the second division barracks, Grimmjow couldn't help but grind his teeth in frustration.

_Why are their quarters so much bigger than mine?_

**

* * *

**

Author's note: So this is the last Interlude for at least two more regular-length chapters. Beach trip is happening within a couple days, I assure you.

**Anyway, the nickname "Tree Lady" comes from Rangiku's surname where 'matsu' is Japanese for 'pine tree'.**

**Reader Response!**

**Delectable: Ah, it wasn't a flame. You had a good couple of points. And so there will be no one-sided ass-kicking.**

**And yeah, these chapters are short because I'm writing them within probably one hour while I'm where I am right now. I'll be out of here tomorrow so I can get to writing full-length chapters. These are more like omake anyway except they tie in to the main story. **

**Well I had to make them a little OOC for this to actually work. If I didn't then Soifon would just be trying to kill him for 100,000 words and Grimmjow would end up eating her or something. :P**

**So, I'm planning on one final Interlude after two more chapters and that one will have a little more significance than these two.**

**See ya and thanks for the reviews everyone! **


	8. Kicking Sand in my Mask

_I hate the sun…_

Grimmjow was sprawled out facedown on his bed, teetering on the edge of sleep and consciousness while a myriad of hateful, incoherent thoughts ran through the early-morning grogginess clouding his mind.

_Sunsets and Sunrises are nice and all but damn it, I hate the sun…so fuckin' bright…so fuckin' hot. Why can't I go back to Hueco Mundo to sleep? Why the hell do I have to wake up and work during the day? I'm an assassin, right? Let me work at night you Shinigami bastards! Still…waking up wouldn't be so bad if I had a couple'a black braids to tie around my eyes…nicer still if the body connected to those braids was naked and right next to me. Sun wouldn't be so bad then. _

As his slew of insults directed towards the yellow disk in sky was beginning to make a turn for the better, his awakening sense of hearing distinguished the knob on his door slowly turning and then the gentle creak of the wooden structure opening only enough to allow the owner of a swishing Shihakushou to stealthily creep into the bedroom seemingly undetected by the resident occupant. He heard the familiar sound of steel sliding against smooth wood accompanied by feather-light footsteps leading towards the edge of his bed until the person stood motionless beside him.

The former _Sexta Espada _couldn't think of anyone else in the three worlds that had to go through this sort of routine first thing in the morning.

His hand shot up to grab his weapon hanging on a small rack above the headboard of his bed and in one swift motion, swung it by the hilt so forcefully that the scabbard flew off to reveal the blade beneath right before a loud metallic clang echoed throughout the chamber. "Good to see that you have better instincts in the morning than my previous Fukutaicho," a feminine voice mused dryly, causing Grimmjow to crack open his eyes and upturn his lips into a weary smirk. "Mornin' to you too, beautiful. I hope ya at least got me some breakfast before deciding to try and cut my head off," he quipped humorously, setting _Pantera _down next to him and wiping the sleep from the corners of his eyes. "We've placed an order to the usual caterer."

Groaning as he sat up, Grimmjow looked over to meet an attractive pair of hard onyx pools. "First time it's been you instead of Cat Lady to come in here and drag me out. Hope ya make this a habit because I'd much rather wake up to you instead of a tease like her," the blue-haired Arrancar commented with a half-serious edge to his playful tone.

Soifon merely raised her eyebrows while she sheathed Suzumebachi behind her back. "Be careful what you wish for. Next time I won't be so loud," she retorted mirthfully. "Now hurry up and get out of bed. We need to be packed and ready to leave for the beach within the hour."

Almost as soon as the instruction was over, the Captain watched a thin white sheet fly away unceremoniously from the bed to unveil her very immodest subordinate who shamelessly kicked his legs over the side of the furniture and stood facing her without any clothes or a care in the world. Her body froze at the sight and all the precious blood from her brain relocated to her cheeks, carrying all primary mental functions along with it. And all she could do was stare which really wasn't so bad despite the unwanted excess of embarrassment that followed her ogling gaze from Grimmjow's neck to his well-defined pectorals, wood-carved abdomen, hollow hole, and finally…

Her face reached a boiling temperature as her question about the natural validity of his hair color was finally answered.

"You gonna stand there and sightsee all day? Because I'm not very patient when it comes to waiting to see if you're going to hop on or hit me in the face," Grimmjow muttered candidly, wiping an unruly strand of azure hair away from his eyes. He frowned when his superior remained unresponsive although in his head, he was laughing loudly at the transfixed, blushing woman in front of him.

_Now I know why Cat Lady does this so much. We should have a contest at the beach to see how many people we can do this to._

He was jerked out of his thoughts by the sound of the door opening, looking up to see Yoruichi poking her head into the room and taking in the current activities with a deadpan expression. "Soifon," she began nonchalantly, finally allowing the woman in question to regain her bearings and hesitantly turn her head towards her mentor. "If you're going to wake him up like that then could you please hurry and get it over with, food's here and I want to get over to the beach sooner rather than later, okay?" With that, the door shut and a trail of giggles were heard behind it, leaving a still-flustered Captain alone with her naked second-in-command who was now leaning loosely against his bedpost. "You heard her, get those clothes off and strike a pose against the wall, Shaolin."

An eye-twitch, a strike to the head, and several wild cackles of laughter later, Grimmjow was eating breakfast in his usual position between the other two residents of the officer's compound on the largest couch in the lounge. He wore his _Espada _uniform just the same as the women wore their Shihakushou and backless Onmitsukido outfit respectfully, they would change into their Real World attire as soon as they hit the sand. For now, everything about the homely atmosphere in the ornate room was as normal as it could get after Soifon had seen the object of her interest completely naked. Her embarrassment over being caught staring was from an outside perspective, the only thing reminding her that the event had even transpired seeing as how Grimmjow and Yoruichi were carrying on a normal conversation that required her to grunt and make throaty noises of acknowledgement appropriately to keep them from attempting to pry into her mortification.

Time wore on and she didn't even bat an eyelash when her two acquaintances began a contest to see who could eat ten bowls of noodles faster than the other which would have thoroughly disgusted her had her thoughts not been elsewhere and dulling out the sounds of slurping and bickering. The two halves of her persona were once again at war with one another and the shy, lust-maddened girl who she had been convinced was dead after her mentor abandoned her had gained the upper-hand against the cold, calculating assassin that was the personality that had been dominant after the first's alleged death. Neither side was willing to give ground, each waiting for Grimmjow to be the deciding factor on how they would proceed but his action had only furthered the rift away from her mind reaching a unanimous agreement on how and what kind of relationship to form with the man.

The failed kiss from the night before was running circles around her head, taunting her with the complexity of such a simple action. The shy and smitten side of her was screaming that it was the move that Soifon had been waiting for, a declaration that the Arrancar held feelings for her too and it was what she truly wanted to believe. But the cold and calculating side reasoned that he was a womanizer and that his eyes before he tried to capture her lips were hot with only hunger and want with no affection. Still, even that was very appealing to her. There weren't many potential sexual partners that came into her life anymore so she had no room to request one that liked her on an emotional level. And that was about the only thing she could ask of Grimmjow Jeagerjaques after she had long since done what her former superior had asked her to do and looked past the hole, the uniform, the tattoo, and the mask to see the man beneath and she was pleased at the results.

In the end, it was a battle between her burning desire and her heart's fragility, the ensuing confusion of which was really starting to piss her off.

"Hey, Shaolin."

Soifon thanked whoever was listening for the welcome reprieve and entered back into reality to see her Vice-Captain idly playing with one of her braids, running his fingers along the cloth and over the gold ring in innocent fascination. "What?" She replied bluntly, yanking the ropey tendril of hair away from his hands and shooting him a mild glare. "I asked ya if you were going to let your hair down at the beach." He stated with a scowl, shaking a single black strand from his hand and gazing into a pair of orbs of a matching color.

Taken aback by the question, the Captain's lips formed a thin line as she glanced up towards a nearby clock. "I wouldn't get your hopes up," she muttered absent-mindedly, rising from the couch and alerting the others to the time. "Its time to go, the Senkai Gate should be opening soon."

**………………..**

Out in the morning summer sun, the trio used their various means of quick transportation to travel in companionable silence towards the fourth division barracks where Unohana Retsu was presiding over the final travel preparations. Each carried a single bag filled with only a moderate amount of clothing and the basic necessities fit to last for the full four days that would be spent in the Human World. And of course the two officers from the second division wouldn't be caught dead without their Zanpakuto.

"Grimmjow, I've been wondering something," Yoruichi remarked mischievously as she slowed into a descent above a large group of Shinigami sitting lazily in the scarce shade of the courtyard below. "Can you swim?" She asked generally, causing the Arrancar to stumble when he touched down on the hard ground. "What the hell kind of question is that? Of course I can swim!" He shouted in conniption, grinding his teeth when the two women next to him wore a matching pair of amused and curious expressions. "Well I figured since you lived in the desert…" The dark-skinned assassin began. She trailed off the end of her sentence and observed, smirking as Grimmjow cursed below the earshot of the approaching fourth division Captain.

"I'm happy that you three could join us so early," Unohana began in such a comely tone that it doused the Vice-Captain's rising temper immediately. "Currently we're waiting for Starrk-Taicho and Kyouraku-Taicho. Kuchiki-Taicho is also informing Kotsubaki-kun that he won't be joining us…I believe it's been taking so long because he wants to see Ukitake-Taicho," she pondered.

Four pairs of eyes darted to a spot where a shimmer of shunpo soon appeared, revealing a visibly annoyed Byakuya who proceeded over towards the larger gathering of officers just as a pair of pink and yellow kimono flashed into focus. Starrk and Kyouraku stood with sober balance, engaging in their usual post-shunpo ritual of removing their arms from the sleeves of their floral cloths and tipping their straw hats down to shadow their faces from the harsh sun.

"Good, now we can leave. Please come with me," Unohana requested softly.

She then directed everyone in the courtyard to form a tight mass of black, white, and occasionally multicolored clothing to listen in to the presiding voice of Ise Nanao.

"Thank you all for participating in the second annual Shinigami Women's Association sponsored beach outing," the bespectacled woman announced in a rather bored tone. "I'm pleased to see that the entire roster is in attendance. We will be departing shortly but first I would like to give you all some background information. The property that we've rented is large enough to contain all the activities that will be held during the four days that we stay in the Living World. A barrier will encompass the property and extend well into the air and into the sea, keeping out humans and making all reiatsu emissions undetectable to keep away Hollow and Ryoka alike so there will be no need for the use of Gigai." Nanao paused and pushed her glasses up; making sure that everyone had kept up with her. Starrk had somehow managed to keep himself from napping and Grimmjow was standing vagrantly with his hands in his pockets, being kept in check by Unohana's presence.

"When we arrive, you will see a large wooden building over the sand and near the treeline. This will serve as a storage facility, kitchen, and bathroom during our stay. Everyone is required to meet there upon arrival and gather the materials prepared for you in order to pitch your tents. After that…you all may do as you wish until the first day's activity."

No sooner than the last word left the Vice-President's lips did Unohana jab her sword into the air and produce a Senkai Gate that opened its doors to show a swarm of Hell Butterflies waiting to escort the group into the Real World.

Nearly everyone ran excitedly into the portal, leaving the more composed and apathetic participants behind.

Grimmjow walked steadily towards the gate with Yoruichi and Soifon on his heels, a light smirk on their faces that fell when a white-gloved hand latched itself onto the Arrancar's shoulder in a firm grasp. He stopped moving instantly and moved his eyes lazily up the offending appendage, resting his gaze when blue met black once more in a barely contained confrontation. "Don't worry about it; I ain't in the business of startin' anything pointless with _any_ Shinigami," he spat dismissively, shrugging Byakuya away from him and strutting into the pale light of the Senkaimon.

Taking that as their cue, the past and present Commanders of the Onmitsukido gave the noble a lingering stare with the former carrying a little less heat and a little more understanding than the latter. "You worry about your sister too much," she chided, playfully punching the Captain on the shoulder and dragging her protégé behind her through the gate.

Unfortunately for Soifon, they emptied out much higher up than she had expected and Yoruichi's grip on the back of her Shihakushou refused to allow her to move her body into a vertical position during the flight down, resulting in her hitting a soft substance that did little to cushion her growing frustration. Soon enough however, a strong hand latched around her waist and hoisted her up, righting her atop the sand.

Soifon tilted her eyes over in hopes of convincing whoever had helped her up that their sense of chivalry meant a lot less than her pride but her icy gaze couldn't withstand the combined heat of the sun and Grimmjow who had thrown off his jacket like it was trying to eat him. "Can't have ya falling on your ass, Shaolin. It makes us look bad," he scolded mockingly, picking up the discarded half of his uniform and tossing it over his shoulder to ignore the ensuing glare. "Let's get going, we're due inside." He pointed over his shoulder to a large building marked 'Surf Shack' and headed off, leaving a trail of officers following behind him.

Trudging through the sand, Grimmjow realized just how ineffective his black boots were against the resistance of the sun-cooked grains. Maybe he should swap them out for Shinigami standard sandals instead. Frowning at this, he flexed his arm, stirred up his reiatsu, and felt his scowl deepen further.

_I hate the power limiter._

He began his steady ascent up the dunes, noticing their more earthen color when compared to the landscape of Hueco Mundo. Another subtle difference was the occasional appearance of green foliage jutting out from the sand and waving languidly in the pleasant breeze moving across the beach. The thing that really caught his attention though was the rustling sounds of the deciduous vegetation littering the edge of the landscape and then of course there was the actual sea itself.

Gulls circled around overhead, piercing the air with their shrill cries as they foraged the ground below for any scrap of food they could distinguish amongst the white plains while small waves lapped soundly against the shore, weak remnants of the sizeable swells that broke further out in the water on a protective reef. All in all, it was a good atmosphere from the Arrancar's perspective. The sky was clear save a few chalky wisps drifting lethargically along the open expanse and the sun wasn't terribly strong thanks to the low humidity and continuous gusts of wind.

Yes, given some time, Grimmjow figured he would probably enjoy himself here especially considering the eye candy and the many things he could do to keep himself from getting bored. Having his fill of the scenery for the time being, he entered the Surf Shack and was instantly greeted by the sight of Nanao chastising Rangiku for ordering an entire crate of alcoholic beverages as well as the others unpacking various things and distributing them around the building.

Yoruichi and Soifon met up with him within a few seconds, joining him in humorously taking in the many spectacles about the open spread of the room until Unohana waved them over to an open box. "We have enough people to set up everything here," she informed them happily, handing each of the assassins a metal box with a large red button in the center and returning to her previous task of rummaging through the contents of the container. "Those are the tents we ordered from Urahara-san…Soifon-Taicho?"

The petite woman snapped to attention even though the eyes of her senior were only halfway directed towards her. "Will you be going fishing with Shihouin-san again, perhaps taking your Fukutaicho with you? I'm afraid our budget for this month has run out and we weren't able to buy the best quality food. You see all we have is an assortment of bento boxes which isn't very imaginative and I was hoping that you might be interested in catching something for us," Unohana stated in a pleading voice that none could refuse, certified by the three simultaneous nods that succeeded the humble request. "Sure thing, Mama," Grimmjow replied confidently. "We'll drain the ocean for ya," he concluded in finality, a toothy smirk parting his lips while the two women beside him smiled reassuringly.

"Oh good," Unohana chimed, her eyes closed partially. "Well I wouldn't want to keep you any longer, please set up your tents, get changed, and by all means go out and have fun fishing." She then sent the trio off on their own with an affable wave and watched them head back out into the sun alongside of a few others who had finished their assigned tasks.

"Fishing, huh?" Grimmjow remarked pensively, swiping his thumb under his chin as he hiked up a high dune behind Nanao who had scouted out their campsite. It was well away from the shoreline of the high tide: a flat plane of windswept sand nestled in between a dip in the outlying treeline. In his hands, he clutched his supposed 'tent' and his off-white luggage which he dropped with an airy poof onto the ground and stared blankly at the metal device. He was soon joined by the others, no one risking whatever grim outcome was sure to happen after they pressed the red button in the center.

Shadows and frowns lengthened all around until Soifon eventually became fed up with the predicament and punched the crimson knob with her thumb, letting the contraption go and jumping back in surprise when smoke erupted out of the steel casing.

Seconds later, a small explosion of sand and mist racked the campsite and everyone in the vicinity dropped their postures, feeling a large bead of sweat falling down the backs of their heads.

Where the frustrated Captain had dropped the device now stood a moderately sized tent that bore signature stripes of white and dark green, carrying a large cartoonish caricature of Urahara Kisuke on the side with his hat shading his eyes and a large open-mouthed grin obscured partially by his fan.

"You can't possibly expect me…to sleep in that?" Soifon whispered in exasperation, staring wide-eyed at the unsightly accommodations. "All in good humor, I suppose," Yoruichi commented, giggling as she and Grimmjow positioned their own tents to the left and right of their friend's. Nanao and the others heaved a lengthy sigh and turned their heads when their lodgings popped up from the beach, wincing at the loud snapping noise that they made upon appearance.

Meanwhile, Grimmjow entered his tent and looked around in surprise. The interior wasn't nearly as bad as the outside, not that he was actually affected by the aesthetics in the first place; he found them pretty damn funny in fact. That thought aside, he noticed a plush black canvas lined the floor of the inside, conforming to the sand beneath. The only piece of furniture was an exceptionally wide futon, the purpose of which only being apparent to the most perverse of minds even if the scattered throw pillows and scented candles made it much more obvious to the sexually inept. A wooden bucket was near the door/flap to be used for carrying clean water; the only other thing worth noting were the myriad of cloths, their purpose being deemed as cleaning up in more ways than one.

Satisfied with his living arrangements, Grimmjow motioned to step out but stopped when a foreign object caught his eye. Captivated, he sidled himself next to it and studied the oddly-shaped black case intently, pulling a hastily written note from its side.

_Grimmjow,_

_Here's your order, both items are inside. I took the liberty of tuning the one for you; I do know how to play by the way. And one more thing, I'm warning you that I refuse to make prosthetic genitalia in case your plan goes awry. But I digress; hope your serenade goes as planned and if so, please clean the sheets because they stain something awful._

_I've already found a good plot of land to bury you in my basement to repay you for your generous patronage,_

_-Kisuke._

The Arrancar stuffed the letter in his pocket and chuckled before exiting the tent just in time to catch the final set of orders before the beach trip really got underway.

"Now that everyone has made sleeping arrangements, we can all change and relax," Nanao declared evenly, her eyes going wide when Grimmjow, Yoruichi, and surprisingly…to most Nel pulled open their bags and began to disrobe. "Not here!" She shrieked, amassing a collection of disappointed groans and even more sullen expressions. "Why the hell not," Grimmjow retorted, shrinking away from Unohana's berating gaze that had resulted from his careless swear. Honestly though, it was just a body and a damn good one too he thought with a mental smirk. He would never understand the Shinigami concept of modesty but at least Yoruichi and the former _Tercera _could empathize with his policy on needless clothes. "Because it's indecent! Don't you have any shame," Nanao inquired icily while the other end of the question was paying no attention and tossing his boots into his tent. "Not really."

Both the Vice-Captain of the eighth division and the head of the Onmitsukido smacked their heads in unison, the latter cursing the fact that after seeing her subordinate naked earlier in the morning, she had now welcomed the sight into her mind's eye where it had remained to stir up and spin the rusty gears of her forsaken sex drive.

"So when the fu…when can I get changed then, lady?" The object of the Captain's lust grumbled with unconcealed frustration, staring unintimidated into the smoldering orbs behind a pair of glasses that sat dauntingly in the center of his vision, impressing almost everyone present. The two locked into an unwavering staring contest that broke only after all the usual humor had left Grimmjow's eyes, leaving an aged and furious glare that one would expect to come from Yamamoto and Yamamoto alone, not the deceptively youthful-looking Arrancar. It was safe to say that he had won the battle when Nanao crossed her arms and shocked everyone by looking away.

"The women will change first in the building, the men can either wait their turn or change while we're away," she harrumphed, turning her back on her opponent in a feminine manner and proceeding towards the Surf Shack. She stopped halfway and spun on her heel, shooting a boiling glare behind her that sent the other members of her gender scrambling over to her before disappearing into the wooden structure.

Grimmjow spat as he watched them go. He felt his old temper returning and the personality that came along with it. And even though it hadn't even been an hour since breakfast, he felt a deep hunger that set him on edge. "You have to teach me how to do that," Captain Kyouraku commented admirably while he sauntered over to the blue-haired man in front of him, watching as he looked up into the sky and mentally thanked something in the direction of the sun for the interruption. "Nah, that's my trick and it only comes with experience," he muttered humorously, dispelling the voracious appetite with a long exhalation and pulling a pair of white swim trunks from his nearby bag as he barely regarded the man next to him.

Taking that as a hint to get into his own beach attire, Kyouraku moved away from the changing Arrancar but not before he dropped one last comment. "Fine then, you scary old man." Grimmjow smirked and shook his head. He pulled the string around his waist tight and knotted it. Jumping up and down and getting used to the net inside of the legs, he felt pretty good now that his hakama was off and tucked unceremoniously into his bag which was also hurled into his tent sword and all.

Not everyone was as open about donning their shorts as he was, something that irked him greatly. While he partially understood what was eating Nanao, he wondered just why the hell some of the men had retreated into their shelters. This was something he'd have to ask his Captain about later…right after he sorted out that strange feeling in his abdomen...the one squarely in the center of his…

_Aw shit. That's not good._

He let loose a string of curses and ran his hand through his hair. This wasn't an uncommon problem amongst _Espada_. The hunger for reiryoku was no longer necessary to survive but it had been such a strong feeling for centuries of time and that caused it to insinuate itself psychologically into the minds of the more powerful Arrancar. Fortunately enough, all the right people knew about Grimmjow's occasional episodes and that was one of the driving factors that had put him as head of the Patrol Corps so that he could go to Hueco Mundo and eat whatever he wanted. He really couldn't ask anything else other than why Nel and Starrk didn't have any problems. And so, with another sigh, he resigned himself to four days of quiet illusionary starvation until he tore up his homeland with a vengeance.

Several anxious sessions of flexing his fingers in a claw-like manner passed away until the first of the women emerged from the Surf Shack, making a beeline for midway to the beach where most of the men were heading out to intercept the growing promenade of the female species. He observed from the corner of his eye as one by one they all filed out, trying to remember all of their names and furrowing his brow when he saw someone he didn't recognize. Hopping to his feet in curiosity, Grimmjow took long strides over to the lineup of men and women. After he nudged in between Toushiro and Renji, he panned across the crowd for the mysterious figure and felt his chest tighten in contradiction to his bulging eyes when he saw who it was.

Soifon stood in a casual posture with her black two-piece wrapped snugly around her slender frame, exposing all that she had to bear save the important areas covered by only tiny bits of dark cloth that blended well with her lightly tanned skin. But the thing that had completed her metamorphosis was the absence of her trademark braids, letting the back layer of her hair cascade straight down to her waist and thankfully, the shyness and modesty she had been exhibiting so frequently up until now was nowhere to be seen. Instead of the blush that should've marred her face, there was a high smirk that she usually only wore when she had the edge in a tough battle which she actually did at the moment when you took into account the awestruck look that Grimmjow was giving her and that sent her pride up to new levels knowing that it was her body and not Rangiku's or Yoruichi's that had his full attention.

"You gonna stand there and sightsee all day?"

Making Grimmjow eat his own words, especially in the cold tone that she had used was definitely a bad move on Soifon's end. Case and point when the Vice-Captain met her distant ebony eyes with his in such a hungry and completely uncharacteristic expression that she couldn't tell if the lust was for sex or blood. Oh yes, the feeling of pressure in his hollow hole had packed up and traveled south and it took everything in his power not to tackle the woman he was so openly ogling. Instead, he opted for a carnal grin that stated his intentions louder than any crude phrase he could've spent deliberating on for months.

Yoruichi looked at her two friends back and forth as did nearly everyone else except for Shunsui Kyouraku who was in a very similar position directed at a flushing Nanao Ise.

_Well, well. Looks like Soifon's back to normal, I guess she couldn't have been all blushes and smiles forever and Grimmjow…well he's back to the Hollow side until he either has sex or kills something._

She frowned, still moving her head from one to the other until she noticed a luminous blue liquid seeping into the sclera of the former _Sexta Espada_.

_Nope, not good!_

"Ah, we really need to get heading out if we're going to catch something before the beach art competition starts," Yoruichi quipped in an unnecessary loud voice, taking a verbal sledge to the multitude of palpable tensions in the air as she dragged the two by the hands over to the edge of the sea and violently kicked their legs out from under them so that they fell into the water, creating a splash that reverberated along the surrounding cliffs encompassing the forested regions of the beach.

"What the hell is wrong with you," they spluttered synchronously in a low growl, baring their teeth with stress on the canines.

Their anger was promptly snuffed when they stood up and faced each other, once again falling into a provocative staredown now with the added effects of water falling as decorative beads down their wet and shining bodies. "Oh for fuck's sake," Yoruichi mumbled, planting both palms of her hands on her forehead before grabbing the wrists of the would-be couple and flashing off out to sea.

The flash goddess halted abruptly once the shoreline was completely out of sight, dropping her baggage into the surf below and scanning contently across the open ocean. "Nice weather," she breathed gratefully, pleased to hear the dual outbursts of strikingly similar curses that erupted from the water. Swearing meant that her protégé had reverted back to her more likeable side and the fact that her other friend wasn't going on a rampage meant that he had regained what little self control he possessed over his many instinctual impulses. She brought her thumb and forefinger up to her chin in fascination of the complexities of the mind while Grimmjow and Soifon hoisted themselves onto dry air, aiming a combined glare at Yoruichi that would've made most lower life forms spontaneously combust.

"You hungry, Grimm?" She asked breezily, holding out her arm as an offering to the distraught Arrancar.

He looked at it with a scowl and scoffed. Soifon on the other hand was just plain confused by the interaction. "I remember last time you pulled that. It was part of those damn loyalty tests and the old geezer beat me over the head when I tried to take a bite out of ya," Grimmjow remarked, licking his teeth at the memory. "Well that was then and this is now," Yoruichi began, "We're friends, you're in the divisions, and I trust you."

Soifon felt her temper start to boil up as the conversation continued with no one pausing to fill her in about the odd topic.

"I ain't a charity case even if I am hungry. I can find my own food; been doing it for at least six hundred years." He paused and slicked back his dripping mass of hair. "Besides, I don't know how much I could take from you with the power limiter turned on so I'll just wait it out for a couple of days and eat a bunch of human food in the mean time." Grimmjow slid his hands along his waist and looked down, frowning at the fact that his swim trunks had no pockets.

"Would you two mind telling me exactly what it is that's going on?" The resident Captain chimed in coldly, frighteningly in tune with a powerful gust of wind blowing across the water. Her eyes were steady and coated with thick ice, obviously not liking whatever she thought she was seeing. "I want to eat someone and not in the way that leaves them tingly and satisfied. If that was the case then we would be much happier right now, Shaolin," Grimmjow replied bluntly, finding his superiors newly-developed sudden changes in attitude much more attractive than terrifying unlike the rest of his division. "Oh," was all Soifon could say to that, her gaze becoming softer. This was one time out of a few that she wouldn't have minded being left out of the loop, feeling a spike of pressure in her abdomen at her second-in-command's final comment.

_Wait…_

"I must have water in my ears; did you say you've been alive for at least six hundred years?" She questioned incredulously.

_That's ridiculous, only the three senior Taicho and the Soutaicho are over six hundred. But…he was a Hollow, wasn't he?_

It was painful to think of him in that way and even harder to accept. Never in her wildest dreams could she imagine that the species that was her sworn enemy since birth could yield something like Grimmjow Jeagerjaques but the fact remained that he was what he was and although it didn't disturb her much, she felt like kicking herself for thinking less of him because he was acting the way his heritage made him act. She had come to like him regardless of how he behaved but this development was a cause for a much needed re-evaluation. And of course her feelings for him remained. It was just strange to see her subordinate in a different light from the playful, depraved, understanding, and encouraging aura he carried about him like an accessory.

"That's right, Shaolin. Six centuries worth of bad motherfucker devoted to his Taicho and her sexual needs is staring you right in the face," Grimmjow replied humorously, patting his exposed chest proudly. Soifon in the mean time was gaping. "But you…you look so-"

"Young?" Yoruichi finished, stepping into the conversation to save her friend from the painfully apparent amount of troubling information that was falling on top of her. "So does his Mama but unlike her, he has a reason behind it. He ate souls, he stopped his aging. If he continued to do so now then he still probably wouldn't age despite being half Shinigami," she explained solemnly, gesturing over to the man of topic who was currently running around the surface of the water attempting to catch flying fish with his hands. "It seems that he's stunted his maturity also."

The two women shared a small laugh, momentarily breaking the severity of the discussion. "It doesn't bother you, does it?" Yoruichi asked after a while, spectating alongside her former student at the scene of the Arrancar's catch and release fishing. "As long as he doesn't feed off of Humans or Shinigami, I don't care what he does."

"Central Forty-Six thought the same way about him."

"You mean it's just him that has this problem?"

"Yeah, I mean could you really imagine Starrk or Nel-chan eating someone? Because if you can then you have a more active imagination then I've given you credit for," Yoruichi countered with dark mirth. "Good point."

"Hey," Grimmjow called over from where he was deftly plucking marine life up from their habitat. "I've never been fishing before but I'm guessing it isn't usually one guy fucking around while beautiful women watch." Soifon and her mentor shared a shrug and walked over to him. "Want to know the basics?" Yoruichi asked nonchalantly, admiring the technique the Vice-Captain had perfected in the last few minutes that allowed him to pick fish out of the sea like a piece of candy out of a jar. "My way seems to work pretty damn well," Grimmjow jested, kicking up another flying fish from the water and into his waiting hand. "Hope you aren't squeamish, Shaolin."

"Try me."

A moment passed and Grimmjow smiled widely. "Thanks, sexy. I would have to do something else if you were," he replied, taking a large bite out of the creature in his hand and licking his lips in satisfaction. "Not much reiatsu in these little bastards." The Arrancar tossed the carcass into the ocean in hopes that the scent would bring up something bigger. Next to him, Soifon was surprised at his sudden action but kept her word and didn't feel a single pang of disgust just the same as Yoruichi who looked like she was envious. If the woman wasn't raised as a noble, she would probably be doing the same. "Ah, hey Grimm! Look at that shark!" She shouted, pointing down to a blue fin cutting through the waves right above a hide of smooth dark blue skin. "Catch it; we can make a soup for lunch."

Grimmjow bent down on his knees and followed the animal from his levitating position above the water. Frankly, he was done with sharks after what happened with Harribel but he didn't want it to eat his bait. So he racked his brain and came up with a way to solve both problems. "Go get it, Shaolin. I bet he'll take a chunk out of your arm." Yes, attacking the pride of his superior and coaxing her into doing the dirty work for him was the best plan he could formulate on the fly and it worked like a charm. "Watch me. It took your _Segunda's resurreccion_ to get an arm off me; you think this Human World creature can do the same?"

Diving in without waiting for an answer, Soifon came face to face with the animal and frowned. It was an eleven foot blue shark, gliding warily around the petite Captain after her sudden intrusion into its domain. The thing itself wasn't very intimidating despite its size, its mouth was small and far away from its nose which made it easy to see if it would bite and the white underbelly made it simple to spot in the hazy subtropical ocean. All was settled in a matter of seconds in the form of a bone crushing strike to the shark's skull, spinning it belly up as red fluid spiraled up from the abused cranium that dispelled into a dark stain along the current.

The assassin surfaced seconds later with her arm wrapped around the tail, looking up with satisfaction at Grimmjow's proud smirk. "Nice one, Shaolin." He whistled in approbation and pulled the blue shark up from the waves with the help of Yoruichi, holding it lengthwise.

One brutal de-finning process later and Soifon deemed the harvest: prime ingredients for Chinese shark fin soup. "Well that should go well enough with the bento. I just hope that everyone is up for something a little different," She commented absent-mindedly, turning to Grimmjow who was ripping the remnants of the shark's corpse to pieces with brute strength and dumping them into the ocean for more 'bait'. "And I guess we can count on you for dinner," Yoruichi added with a small sweat drop. "I just hope you can do better than a shark," Soifon concluded smugly.

No luck came until the mid-afternoon, the time before then being spent on a challenge of sorts between the three on who could rob the others of their clothes after an hour of fishing hadn't brought up anything other than more sharks which couldn't produce any good kind of meat besides the fins. Needless to say, the commander of the Onmitsukido was less than thrilled when her two 'friends' ganged up on her and took advantage of the fact that she only had one arm to spare lest she drop the shark fins to attempt to undo the knot of her top. Thankfully, her savior came right before a success in their endeavors and it was in the form of the biggest fish she had ever seen.

"Black marlin!" Yoruichi exclaimed excitedly, watching in awe as the mammoth vertebrate jumped, clearing the water completely in front of the high sun. "This one's mine," Grimmjow hooted with a carnal grin, buzzing off to the last known position of the giant fish and diving down.

"Looks like he did better once again," Soifon mumbled sourly, annoyed by her subordinates habit of constantly besting her at nearly everything. Though her mood did lighten a little when she saw the marlin jump once more, this time with an Arrancar latched to its back, arms around the spear jutting out from its head. "I should've brought a camera," Yoruichi cried after a fit of laughter that her protégé was by no means immune to the infectiousness of, joining the purple-haired ex-Captain in a long display of their joined mirth.

One minute later, they were brought back to their senses by a masculine voice breaking through the humor. "Almost got the bastard, ladies." Grimmjow called from quite a distance away, effectively signaling the Shinigami to shunpo over to his position. And they only laughed more after seeing him up close.

Once a fearless warrior and now an accomplished fisherman, Grimmjow wrestled the beast with his hands over its mouth and his legs wrapped between the fins in an effort to keep it from swimming. His head was next to the gills, bobbing slightly above the waves but still taking massive amounts of water in his mouth from the marlin's thrashing. "Keep it steady and I'll kill it," Soifon ordered, hovering over to the animal's head and preparing to strike. "Wait!" Grimmjow gargled. "I'll take care of it."

Both spectators watched as the Arrancar spread his mouth as wide as it would go, nearing the point of unhinging his bones preceding the giant bite he administered to the fish's head. The effects were clear from the beginning, the marlin's flailing slowed into more manageable jerks and its eyes began to dim. It didn't even stand a chance when Grimmjow broke its bill off of its face and impaled it through its head, putting an end to the battle immediately.

"Still not very filling," he snarled, flying up above the waves with the spear acting as a handle for carrying the fish. His free hand was used to wipe the saltwater from his face and afterwards, he opened his eyes to hear a pair of startled gasps. "Oh…hey, Shinigami." Grimmjow greeted haphazardly in a tone that was neither mocking nor joking. "I'm still pretty hungry so how about we get something to eat."

He narrowed his eyes when he received no response, his very, very abnormal eyes that glowed unnervingly with blue sclera and yellow irises that housed slitted cat-like pupils.

"What's wrong with you, Shaolin?" The Vice-Captain asked in concern, instantaneously snapping out of whatever hunger induced trance he had just been a victim to and ambling over to his superior with a worried expression reflected in his usual teal pools. "Ya look like you're scared of something."

Seeing that her friends were too mentally incapacitated to salvage the situation, Yoruichi took charge and coaxed them down to an 'everything is alright' state of mind even if one of them had no idea what she was talking about. It wasn't long until they were all rushed through a _garganta_ that the resident demi-hollow was forced to create and back at the Surf Shack where the marlin was filleted, salted, and stored while Soifon claimed ownership of the kitchen, wanting to be alone in her thoughts for a while.

**………………..**

After a delicious lunch that was proclaimed loads better than just ordinary bento boxes by the majority of the beachgoers, it was finally time for the second annual S.W.A. Beach Art Competition. Teams were decided immediately and those that weren't participating were either judging, sleeping, or in Nemu's case: meandering around the surf looking for specimens.

_The Competitors_

_Grimmjow, Soifon, and Yoruichi_

_Byakuya and Rukia_

_Isane, Kiyone, and Nanao _

_Nel, Lilynette, and Yachiru_

_Renji, Hisagi, Rangiku, and Toushiro_

The last team came about only after Captain Hitsugaya had to be swayed by his bubbly Vice-Captain to join for the hefty cash prize which he didn't really need seeing as how he was very good with finances but the proposition of buying an entire candy store seemed to work wonders with the young prodigy even if he denied his interest in the prospect.

Half an hour later, everyone was putting the finishing touches on their works…well almost everyone. The second division team was just sitting idly beside a massive block of sand while they looked around the other sculptures, occasionally engaging in light conversation that skipped over anything pertaining to the subject of Hollows.

"Don't tell me that's what you're trying to win with."

Three heads looked up to see a very amused Captain Abarai towering over their seats with a cocky grin. "'Course not Pineapple, sir." Grimmjow retorted matter-of-factly, letting a smirk upturn his lips when Renji's eye began to twitch. "What the hell did you just call me, Kitty?" He shouted, establishing himself as the root cause of Soifon's newest headache. "That name's lost all insult, Pineapple-Taicho. Ladies happen to like the furry ears so maybe you can do us all a favor and buy whatever the fuck is missing inside that head of yours with the prize money if you somehow manage to win," The Arrancar stated arrogantly, eliciting a snicker from the women stationed next to him.

No doubt, a fight would have broken out had Unohana Retsu not appeared in the impeccable timing that had come to be expected by officers of the Gotei Thirteen. Clipboard and pen in hand, She smiled at the fuming redhead and unconsciously willed him to move back to his own team unless he felt remarkably brave.

"I'm not at liberty to say what comes to mind when I see this," she said in mild confusion, staring under a lowered brow at the sandy cube. "I honestly expected something…a little more creative." Unohana continued to look for some deeper meaning to the geometric mass of sediment, tapping her pen against her chin until Soifon worked up the nerve to tell her that their entry was incomplete while her partners were snickering behind her back. "We're still waiting for the right level of moisture before we carve up our design…actually it looks ready," the assassin muttered apologetically, putting a sharp elbow into the shoulders of the other two, making them shoot up with a hiss and fight back a curse.

"Please hurry then," Unohana began softly. "You don't have much time until the judging starts and I would hate to see you three be disqualified."

"We'll be alright," Yoruichi reassured her, getting to her feet and unsheathing the sword that she had "borrowed" from a sleeping Starrk. "You can watch if you want, it'll be over soon." Two nods accompanied her statement along with _Pantera_ and Suzumebachi sliding out of their scabbards and gleaming in the afternoon sun. Then without warning, the gusty sound of shunpo was combined with the buzz of _sonido_ in a flurry of precise cuts, slashes, curves, and minute incisions into the block of sand. The whole spectacle lasted for several minutes until gargantuan piles of wet sand were settled on the ground and the trio stood proudly in front of their finished work, beaming from the small claps being emitted from Unohana. "I stand corrected. That's a very original piece."

Rising up from the beach and standing as an imposing figure looming above the Surf Shack was a giant panther frozen motionlessly as an intimidating monument. However, the not so intimidating factor kicked in when you looked on top of its back where a small cat was curled up asleep and towards its tail where an oversized hornet was cradled in the curve of the thin appendage. "That money's as good as ours," Yoruichi declared with a vicious smirk, paying no mind to the senior Captain behind her who scolded her for her arrogance. "So when ya going to tell us who won?" Grimmjow inquired only in half-interest; the rest of his attention spent looking over his frostfire superior while she was looking elsewhere. "And let me be the first to tell you that you're looking good in that swimsuit, Mama," he added quickly.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Grimmjow."

"Not true, it usually gets me either knocked to the floor or lookin' at someone trying hard not to blush," the Vice-Captain corrected without missing a beat, clutching his stomach when he received the former treatment this time around courtesy of his superior. "If I wasn't so curiously aroused by everything you do, you'd be buried, Shaolin." He quipped.

Soifon threw her head to the side and exhaled audibly.

_I could say the same to you._

**………………..**

Grimmjow was laid down in a somewhat defeated looking pose at the edge of a long dock further down the beach from the Surf Shack, his knees bent over the wooden planks to allow his legs to hang freely. Dinner was over, the sun had gone down, the stars had come out, and almost everyone was in their tent. So that left him some time to truly relax and enjoy feeling the cool night breeze wash over his body. To him, it smelled a lot like the desert when he got past the salt in the air. But that wasn't what he wanted to think about. He didn't want to think about how he had won the competition, how he would spend the prize money, how good his fish had tasted, or how nice the stars looked. There were only two things he wanted on his mind and those were his Captain and his Hollow side.

The Arrancar really didn't expect her to react so strongly to his behavior and the information that went behind it. On the surface she had shrugged it off but he read people better than that, he figured that it was his post-feeding eyes he got after swallowing what little reiatsu the marlin had in its body and the way he acted for that small moment. Grimmjow sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He was a man who took things as they came but his attachment to Soifon was still taking quite a bit of getting used to. Even his Zanpakuto was at a loss for what to do. Suddenly, waiting for her to make the first move didn't sound like such a bad idea.

"There you are."

_Oh fuck me. _

And then as if she was summoned by the focus of her subordinate's thoughts, Soifon walked slowly up the side of the dock. Due to the cold winds, she had thrown on a black halter top and a pair of jeans which Grimmjow was immensely happy for. Sexual pressure did not go well with his already overpowering appetite for souls. She stopped behind him and stood looking down at his head with a deathly serious look on her face to compliment the icy gaze from her black eyes. "We need to talk," she said more as an order than an invitation for a date yet to be decided. No, whatever it was, it was happening now whether he liked it or not.

Thankfully, her actions were contradictory to her intentions and she mimicked his position beside him, staring up at the moon. They stayed as such for several minutes, letting the waves erode the tension until they were comfortable with each other's presence.

"You acted differently today," Soifon asserted quietly, keeping her eyes steadily on the sky only to follow a comet shooting through the cosmos and straight into Grimmjow's azure stare that ensnared her as soon as their eyes met. "So did you a couple times," he answered gruffly, running his tongue along his canines at the sight of her bathed in moonlight, casting a silver veil over her face. "No, today was the day that I finally acted the way I wanted to since you came to Seireitei," she retorted with a sigh. Two sides of her pride were battling over whether she should confess her weakness and the feelings that came with it or continue to lie to herself.

To her surprise, Grimmjow was waiting patiently for her to continue. "There's something about you that undoes everything I've worked so hard to achieve," the Captain admitted fascinatingly. "And the strangest part is that I have to try to care about it." She paused and propped her head up on her elbow, letting her hair fall freely around her frame. "With every ludicrously kind thing you've done to me and how many times you've gone out of your way to make my day even just the smallest bit better, I have to ask…why? Why are you treating me this way, Grimmjow? And why can you make me abandon all logic and reason so easily?"

"I don't know," the Vice-Captain began in little above a whisper, rotating his view up to the sky so that the moon reflected of his mask fragment. To Soifon, it was like she was seeing an entirely new side of her second-in-command. There was nothing coarse or intimidating about the way his profile looked so distant from her, the way the shadows highlighted his bare chest and made his face seem almost soft and beautiful even with the ferocious half-set of fangs blocking her view of his mouth. "I wish I could answer you and it makes me mad as hell that I can't but truth is that I'm right alongside you, Shaolin. Woman, I wonder if you have any idea what you did to me today." He growled. "But I think there is one thing we can get answered. Why are you dancing around what you want to do? I thought I've made my intentions pretty damn clear and all you do is ignore them. You're a smart lady, Shaolin. I know that so don't fuck with me and tell me that you have to sort yourself out."

Soifon felt her face grow hot as she was being pushed hard into a corner. "Its you who shouldn't fuck with me, Grimmjow. I know she's told you about what happened in the past…or is it that you're trying to open old wounds, is that it?" She prodded in such a cold tone that it caught the Arrancar off-guard and threw his temper into the water beneath the dock. "That was different and you know it," he murmured, preparing for a slap and a retreat but it never came. In its place was a very attentive and borderline pissed off woman. "That was one-sided."

Grimmjow rested his cheek tiredly against the weathered timber of the dock. That was it, he had run out of ammunition and he was waiting for a confirmed kill which soon came in the form of Soifon rendered speechless. He smirked at that and listened to the surf rise and fall on the dock's pylons, creating a soothing rhythm of wet claps and small splashes that lulled his eyes to close shut where they remained even when a pair of warm lips brushed softly against his in uncertainty before clasping firmly. His smirk fell with the kiss and his hands worked on their own accord, pulling the much smaller form of his Captain into his with his free arm while the other was running slowly through the liquid ebony silk of her hair. The action itself was small and spoke for itself, there was no lust or desire poured into it, only confirmation and that was good enough for them both to remain lips together, breathing in short bursts through their noses, and enjoying the warmth of their bodies.

Time passed and they broke apart only far enough to allow verbal communication.

"I want you to show me what you were during the war tomorrow." Soifon requested almost pleadingly into Grimmjow's neck. "You too, Shaolin," he breathed in return, leaning his head on top of hers. "I want to see the woman that has every man in our division begging for their lives every time they blink out of line. Then I'll let you take it from there but I'll tell you this now, who you're talking to right now will be murdered and eaten by the time you wake up."

"And the woman you thought you had so easily in the palm of your hand will be poisoned and stabbed through the heart, laying facedown in a pool of her own blood," Soifon retaliated. "But for tonight, I'll settle for one kiss from the man I'll soon be meeting."

No sooner than the words left her mouth did Soifon find a heated tongue in their place and her hands pinned to the dock in an ironclad grip that made her tendons burn. This was definitely not what she had expected and she loved every second of it.

Fighting back with her own tongue, she matched Grimmjow's pace of controlling and hungry kisses, trying to pin his lips in place with her teeth and claim her dominance. She ripped her hands out from under his and struck him hard against the shoulders, sending him falling hard onto his back where she wasted no time in straddling his waist and reconnecting their mouths like the only way she could breathe was through his lungs. Not to be outdone, the Arrancar grabbed a fistful of her hair and mashed her down onto him as his second hand trailed voraciously up her pants and gripped her backside fiercely, causing her to moan into his mouth and push him dangerously close to the edge.

He bucked Soifon off of him and pressed his hand to her throat, glowering possessively over her, seething with a primal lust the likes of which she had never seen before in any man. Grimmjow shot down and smashed his lips into hers, throttling his tongue between them and pushing her teeth aside to map each and every corner of her moist interior until a sharp blow connected with the back of his neck.

Pain shot all the way to the tips of his fingers and his irises went from pale yellow back to electric blue.

"That's enough for tonight," Soifon panted, eagerly regaining the breath she'd lost from what she could call both a fight and the most exhilarating thing she had ever done with only her lips.

"Tomorrow's going to be interesting."

**

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Author's Note:

**-Urgent- Yo, I need you all to give me your opinion about the direction this story is heading. I don't care if you don't usually review and simply read but this is where I need the feedback, this is the pivotal point right here, people. Drop a note, tell me whatcha think and feel free to give some suggestions. –Urgent-**

**I hope you all kept up with whatever crazy hormonal imbalances I gave my two main characters this chapter but it was necessary for the violent bloody "consummation" planned for next chapter. So bear with me here, I know I gave some serious OOCness but hey, they wouldn't have eased into their relationship any other way. **

**Plus, I had to cut a lot of stuff to make this chapter fit. And finally, Grimmjow's little ocular transformation is based off of the color manga scan from chapter 353 page 01. Seems to me that Arrancar's hollowized eyes consist of black pupils, yellow irises, and sclera the color of their reiatsu so that's my argument for that. Here's a hint, expect white skin, muscles, and black lines coming your way.**

**Reader Response!**

**Delectable: Yup, her name is now a double entendre. And so Tree Lady has become a defining element in this story all thanks to you. :P Meh, the world needs more perverts if you ask me. The only drawback is overpopulation but at least everyone would be in good humor when they starve to death. **

**Anyway, I'm trying to keep everyone in character as best I can. The next challenge will be Byakuya. Hope this chapter met your standards.**

**FuriousDeragonmaji: No, she won't because she will be blindfolded and handcuffed (not really but now I have an idea for a one-shot).**

**Smiley person: Yes, I will try to but my sleep schedule will prevent me from getting there in the daytime…I wake up around seven PM…yeah…Next chapter won't disappoint you by the way.**

**Artemis: Was my almost-nonexistent plot so thick that it made your head hurt? Lulz. My recommendation after many a hangover: drink water. Glad you like the interludes, I was iffy about them.**

**Who Knows Who I Am: I already have a great plan for that. Now its answer time; most of your questions were explained vaguely in the first chapter but its my fault for only saying it once I suppose.**

**Gin Ichimaru was killed thus impairing Rangiku on an emotional level which caused her to willingly demote herself on the grounds of not being able to accomplish her duty (not that she really does anyway but w/e bear with me). Then I had to form a division with no Captain or Vice-Captain to allow Starrk and Lilynette to fit in well within the story and Momo was the best candidate for that so I had her replace Rangiku (even though she too would've been emotionally affected…I know this). Tousen was implied to have been killed; I didn't make it vague for him to randomly appear later as an antagonist. He's dead.**

**As for Grimmjow and Yoruichi, two like minds banding together around Karakura for six months seeing each other sweaty after training? That tension wouldn't have lasted long no matter how different they were. Maybe they hid around a rock in Urahara's training room, maybe they rented a room, maybe they let everybody watch and take Christmas card photos. It's in the past and I'm a person that focuses on the present which is firmly Grimm/Soi.**

**This is my way of dodging questions I don't know the answer to…I'm going to be the first U.S. President who writes fanfics after he starts a nuclear war.**

**Thank you all for reviewing! **


	9. Leave Your Mask at the Door

It was late morning at the campsite and nearly everyone was up and about, splashing in the surf, soaking in the sunshine, sleeping under umbrellas, or in Grimmjow's case: bolting upright out of bed.

He surveyed the immediate vicinity of his tent, shaking the fog from his head and falling back onto his futon with a pleased sigh. Looking up at the seam where the green and white fabrics were sewn together, he noticed that everything seemed different, even the air and the sound of distant waves breaking against the shore was foreign to him. When he strained his awakening senses, the Arrancar noticed the source of the peculiar sensations in the atmosphere. There was a cold and powerful reiatsu pulsing with dormant power circling around the area outside his accommodations. It felt good and he let it show with a dark smile.

Getting up, the Vice-Captain fished around the bag next to his bed for a clean jacket and hakama. Tightening his sash into a loose knot after producing a complete outfit minus a pair of black boots, he proceeded to the exit of his canvas lodge and halted before he entered the sunlight. An unsettling pressure was pushing out from every angle inside of the hole in his abdomen.

Grimmjow was still _very_ hungry for reiryoku but there was a difference in his appetite from the previous day; he now had permission to give in to his instincts and even if he didn't, he couldn't care less about what anybody else thought of his loss of self-control because he was no longer second-in-command of the second division. No, he was Arrancar Twelve, _Sexta Espada_ in Aizen Sousuke's army. He traced his hand over the tattoo on his back while he let a cackling and guttural laugh build from deep within his chest as he rubbed it almost affectionately with his thumb, not in remembrance of Aizen but for the time when he was most Hollow.

_Pantera_ rested in a leaning position on a synthetic structural support near the tent's flap, its beveled wooden gleaming sky blue in the natural light. The sword pulsed and begged its master to pick it up with a series of small rattles that the owner couldn't refuse. He slid his right hand over the hilt, conforming the calluses of his palm and fingers into the weave of the silken wrappings.

_**You'd better play your cards right today because I'm going to drag you in here and tear your throat out if you screw up and make it rain in here after I saw such a beautiful moon last night.**_

"Fuck off, you stupid sword," Grimmjow cursed back at his weapon, giving the scabbard a punishing kick. "I know what I'm doing. Not like its hard to act like myself for a change anyway so shut up…" There was a pause and he removed the blade from its sheath in order to face it as if it were a living entity. "She told me to do things how I used to and that's what I'm gonna do. If she can't handle it then I don't want her, I'll go movin' around looking for someone else but Shaolin's a tough woman to step up from," he stated in all seriousness, lapsing into a brief silence of introspection. "But I've got a feelin' that this little test of ours ain't going to end badly."

_**Seems pointless to me, the old you wouldn't have been so mushy and let her leave with her clothes in one piece last night. Or I guess falling out of the war made you the sensitive type and you need something as useless as consent from that fragile little woman. So if you're really going to do things the way you used to then you should spend some time beating the weakness out of yourself.**_

The temperature in the already heated tent rose several degrees in a positive correlation to increase in size of a large vein throbbing on the Vice-Captain's forehead. "You bastard, hurry up and get me in that jungle so I can beat the hell out of you," he shouted, clutching the hilt roughly and thrashing the weapon around angrily. "Not even Kurosaki can piss me off as much as you can."

_**Give it a rest, I'm just trying to help you out so you don't bitch and moan when your Shaolin won't jump you because she saw what a crazy and sadistic asshole you used to be which she undoubtedly will because the two of us are about to have as close to a real fight as we've had since six months ago. I know you feel that reiatsu out there. That woman really became unpredictable overnight and I can tell that she's itching to find out about the way you handled things, the way you wanted to be the strongest and fight until there was nothing left. What the hell happened to you? You've gotten so soft that it's embarrassing. Seems like forever since you last killed someone for the fun of it.**_

_**I'm not your father or anything so I can't tell you how to act. All I'm trying to do is to get you to realize what you used to be. I honestly don't care how much you change as long as you don't get pushed around and get me some blood every now and then but that woman won't get to know you unless you fight her like you want to kill her for no reason.**_

Sheathing his sword, the Arrancar could easily imagine the long sigh his Zanpakuto's spirit was sure to be breathing at the moment. "You're askin' me to do the opposite of what you told me to last time we talked. You told me not to ignore my Shinigami half, go out on a rampage, or bust anyone's head without a reason and here ya are telling me to do all three of those things." Grimmjow furrowed his brow in aggravation. Leave it to his cryptic bipolar sword to confuse him to the point of seeing red. "Well fine, damn it. If that's what ya want then I'll go out there and fight her like she was Ulquiorra's and Kurosaki's son…fuck me that is a bad mental image."

_**That's more like it. And that way we can find out about her too instead of parading around all day like your auditioning to get into each other's pants. This way I'll look around her soul a little so I can know her inside and out. Fighting is the best form of communication between warriors so different in nature, you know.**_

"Sounds like we both have the same idea then, huh? You do that and I'll have my turn checking around inside and outside of her later," Grimmjow muttered hotly, licking his lips while his weapon said nothing as it slipped through his sash.

He quickly exited through the flap upon deciding to end the half-enlightening and half-infuriating conversation just in time to locate his Captain atop the surrounding forest who despite the hot weather wore her sleeveless Onmitsukido uniform and white haori. The only other difference in her appearance was that her hair was still let down which would've made her face appear softer had it not been stricken with visible rage much to her subordinate's amusement. This feature was the one that garnered more of the blue-haired former _Espada's_ interest. From the looks of things, Grimmjow could tell that there was no possible way that this was how she normally behaved. Something had severely pushed her way too far and he was going to make every bit of that anger channel into her sword.

Soifon looked away from the sky and slid down an uprooted tree at the edge of sand having spotted a familiar head of blue hair emerging from the circus of tents. She approached him with a regal stride, ignoring the increasing attention the pair was receiving from several beachgoers. Her impassive, tightened expression and frosty eyes were betrayed by the smoldering aura that fluctuated uncontrollably like a large flame around her body.

As the two anxiously closed the distance between themselves, they took in their obvious changes in comparison to the night before and they couldn't have made them any more different from each other. Grimmjow had discarded his usual playful and easygoing exterior in favor of a mischievous, bloodthirsty smirk that matched his glowering eyes which were emphasized further by their green markings and the low tilt of his head. He walked leisurely with his hands in his pockets and his sword bouncing at his hip, using deceptively casual movements to tread across the beach. Soifon on the other hand, was stepping as lightly as if she had each foot landing an inch above the ground, gliding with refined grace towards the man in front of her. Black pools were frozen over into a piercing stare that stirred up a sense of pride inside of Grimmjow.

"Yo, Shinigami." He drawled in a tone that dripped excitement and lethality. "Something has you mad today. It's giving you some good eyes, the kind that really makes me want to fight you." The hybrid split his lips apart in a maniacal grin; running his tongue over his canines and moving his head up diagonally so that his gaze was as mocking as it was threatening. Soifon merely looked him unwaveringly, sliding her hand along her yellow obi until it reached the hilt of her Zanpakuto behind her back. "Arrancar," she greeted blankly, her mouth locked in a taught sneer. "I've neglected to show you your place, allow me to fix that."

By this time, many people had gathered around at a distance, curiosity piqued due to the ludicrously out-of-place mass of killing intent radiating from the second division officers. And if it hadn't been for Yoruichi barring Unohana and Byakuya who were immediately setting out to stop whatever was about to happen, then the mysterious confrontation would have ended before it began which it soon did in the form of Soifon appearing in a flash behind her subordinate and aiming a high slash at his neck.

Time slowed as Grimmjow drew his sword in an invisible act of retaliation, slamming it lengthwise along his back and blocking the attack with a lazy one-handed parry. "You've gotten faster, Shinigami." He commented dully, testing his opponent's strength and smirking when his single arm had some difficulty repelling the deadlock in his favor. "I'm going to tell you this as clearly as I can," the Arrancar continued, spinning around to face Soifon who was readying herself for another round. "If you're weak then I'm going to kill you." His voice cut through air, blunt and holding nothing that would suggest that the declaration had been a lie.

The Captain couldn't have been more elated.

This was what she wanted, what she needed from him, to see with her own eyes what he was at his core. She had to know that her feelings for him weren't misguided, if she was going to take off her mask for anyone then it had to be after they showed themselves in their entirety and there was a lot that she was learning. Beyond the shell of his cocky and impulsive front, there was a brutal and intelligent under layer of his persona that testified to the centuries spent fighting to live and devour everything he could see. It was evident only for brief moments in their sparring matches and late night discussions over good sake but it was there and it had been repressed for far too long. Soon it was going to reveal itself and then she could determine if he deserved her.

It was in his eyes, the desire for all things carnal.

Soifon inwardly smirked when she recalled that her body was one of those 'things' while ducking deftly under a horizontal slice and shooting her leg up to catch him in the stomach. She left no time for him to recover and charged at him with blinding speed during the short time where he was stunned from the kick, raising her reiatsu close to the top of her fractioned power and grating her sword across his reinforced chest.

Grimmjow grunted in surprise at the sensation of his _hierro_ being torn apart, mentally cursing the performance of his divided strength.

Although the cut was mostly on the surface, there was a good deal of blood dripping from his wound but he paid no mind to it. In his eyes, there shouldn't have been an injury this early in the fight and the fact that there was, especially on him meant that either he was subconsciously holding back or the other combatant was better than she had let him believe. Their powers could have been downsized disproportionably by the limiter, he doubted that though. All that currently mattered was finding out about the woman he was engaging with.

Swiping a large amount of crimson liquid from his gash, the Vice-Captain brought it to his lips and savored the coppery taste that further ignited the voracious hunger in his abdomen. He opened his eyes to return to the task at hand after the brief stillness of the fight, showing his petite combatant the dim, hard, and predatory sheen over his blue orbs that stemmed from a point in time long before he became an Arrancar.

"Looks like this isn't going to be a waste of time after all," he mused coldly, easing into an offensive stance. "I'm glad to see that you were better than I thought you'd be." Soifon raised an eyebrow slightly at that and dragged her tongue across the blade of Suzumebachi, eliciting a low growl from Grimmjow at the display. "I only show my true abilities to those I intend to kill," she replied with equal frigidness, shaking the remaining blood from her weapon and vanishing in a gust of shunpo only to appear above Grimmjow, aiming a powerful overhand attack at his head.

A victorious smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth as she descended into what she thought was the deciding blow. She hit sand however, stumbling into an awkward landing. Her eyes widened in shock when sun-warmed steel lashed across her back, producing a shallow laceration that stung and dyed her haori a dark red. "Looks like we have something in common then, Shinigami." A mocking voice cooed into her ear, sending shivers up her spine that temporarily overrode the pain of the wound.

She whipped around and spotted her assailant eagerly throwing her own routine right back at her and ingesting the bloodstains littering _Pantera_ in what must have been the most erotic fashion possible. "That's one for one, woman." He purred, smiling psychotically. "No more warm ups though so get ready." A buzz of _sonido_ passed and a metallic clang resounded over the ocean as two pillars of reiatsu blasted into the sky, scattering sand and foliage across the beach and signaling the beginning of the real test.

_Pantera_ and Suzumebachi were at a standstill once again, tearing at each other in a shower of sparks while their masters fought for dominance. Their faces came together, teeth bared and eyes burning with the hope that they would soon see the light leave the other pair, pushing two arms against one much to the Captain's irritation. Said chagrin multiplied hundredfold when Grimmjow applied both of his hands to his sword and kissed the air millimeters in front of her lips teasingly, breaking out of the hold and pushing Soifon down onto the defensive with crushing force. Before she could retreat and start a new bout to put her on equal ground, he twisted her Zanpakuto into a low horizontal block and stomped it to the ground. He then took advantage of her momentary surprise and struck her jaw with the back of his hand, sending her careening towards the dunes.

Recovery couldn't come soon enough for Soifon, emphasized by the various sympathetic seethes coming from the now-content to watch spectators. She picked herself up to her hands and knees and hacked up a dry sound of numb excruciation mixed with a mouthful of sand only to roll away from a plummeting stab courtesy of the former _Sexta_. The split-second that it took him to pull his blade out of the sand was wisely used to locate and retrieve her own Zanpakuto which was direly needed when another buzz was heard over the salty breeze.

Soifon barely held onto her sword when a hard strike collided into the abused steel, producing a hail of sparks. Her guard then shattered when Grimmjow recycled the same attack, abandoning all defense and bashing her sword with a brute force that caused shocks of pain to burst into her wrists with each new impact. Meanwhile, the Arrancar was laughing ecstatically, his mask fragment coming apart. He battered her weapon past the point where she was exposed to an attack, causing her to drop the object when the jarring effects of his blows became too much but it was feint. She knew that his arrogance wouldn't let him act without hesitation and so she picked up a handful of sand and cast it into his face.

"You dirty fucking slut," Grimmjow howled, rubbing his eyes. His reaction was quick enough to keep most of the distraction away but a few grains had still gotten through. After he could bear to open his lids, the Vice-Captain snarled upon finding that his superior was nowhere in sight. The one thing he did notice though was Nel giggling and pointing to an area behind him. He turned and hissed when a blade slipped under _Pantera_, getting in a clean cut perpendicular to the one he already had on his chest. It was deeper than the other one, the full force of Soifon's limited power had gone behind it.

"That's two for two, Arrancar," The Captain announced bitterly, narrowing her eyes into slits. "And two more is all it will take to end this. Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi." Her Zanpakuto glowed and changed form into its Shikai, unveiling a golden gauntlet with black accents and a hornet's stinger fixed to her middle finger.

_His offense is too strong and unpredictable, there's no way I'll beat him if I don't fight back with everything I have…heh. It's been a while since I've had to fight like this._

With renewed vigor, she flashed over to her opponent and attempted to impale his sternum. The attack was too linear and Grimmjow saw it coming from a mile away. He spun his sword up at the last moment, knocking into her armored forearm and diverting the lethal point. What he didn't expect however, was the entailing kick that carried momentum gained from a full spin right into his ribs. "Yeah, that was a good crack or two," he mumbled disdainfully as he sailed through the air. Always time to sneak in some commentation.

Using his reiatsu as drag, he slowed himself to a stop and bolted back at the other officer, sword and grin in place to run her through at full speed: this was his deception. Grimmjow swung his sword halfway to his destination, unleashing a cloud of translucent reiatsu that obscured his opponent's vision. The diversion broke his charge into a rotation that slid him over the sand with constant inertia; he tucked his sword to his side and brought it up quickly when he was in attack range, ripping through a good deal of Soifon's thighs.

"Got your legs, woman." He growled, looking over at his Commander who was in a state of astounding affliction. Her breathing was coming out in pants; the pair of injuries had substantially reduced her mobility and they both knew it. The only thing she could do was concentrate on stopping the bleeding while Grimmjow partook in his usual gloating. She put her hands warily to her newest wounds and utilized the full extent of her miniscule knowledge of healing kido to patch herself up, watching her Vice-Captain swab his Zanpakuto clean with his tongue; something that he really shouldn't have done.

The blood had carried a trace of her reiryoku.

Grimmjow felt his hollow hole contract violently at the small amount of spiritual nourishment and fell on the ground, each heavy breath coming out as a primal growl. He became intoxicated with gluttonous lust, his eyes reacting instinctively to the changing mental state by hollowizing. It wasn't long until he could bring himself to stand and he did so silently, licking his lips at the expression on Soifon's face. She had finished sealing her legs shut and warned several approaching members of the crowd not to interfere, making them grudgingly return to idly observing the fight.

She looked into the transformed visage of her subordinate cautiously, noticing the hairs on her neck prick up at the detached look in his blue-yellow eyes. "You think I'm going to stop just because you're a little out of control?" She shouted angrily, pouncing into a windstorm of shunpo and driving her stinger into his gut. The fact that he hadn't even attempted to dodge disturbed her as she watched the butterfly crest coat his bare stomach. Next thing she knew, a hand had her wrist in a grip that would have shattered bone had Suzumebachi's gauntlet not protected it. Soifon looked up in concealed horror at the sound of a quiet and monstrous chuckle.

"You're doin' pretty well, Shinigami." Grimmjow remarked in genuine appraisal, pulling the blade out of his bowels and holding it up to get a better look. "But…" He began, sliding his sword overtop of the assassin's wrist and under the chain connecting the segments of her Zanpakuto. "I'm getting pretty hungry so I guess I'll need to eat something. Thanks for the fun." Suzumebachi's binding split apart with an effortless cleave, allowing the Arrancar to dislodge the offensive portion of the unique sword. Promptly, he tossed it away and gripped Soifon by the head, pulling her up to eye-level and flinching slightly when she began to batter his face with a flurry of punches. Pain no longer registered at this point. "It's been real." Grimmjow murmured, charging a _cero_ in his palm. But his Captain wouldn't have it, she ran up his chest with her feet, pushing hard kicks into even his stab wound and finally knocking his head back with a powerful thrust of her foot.

The energy in his hand diffused harmlessly and he dropped his baggage with equal ease, flipping around backwards to right his posture and landing on a dune in combat position. "Not bad," he commented airily, spitting a glob of red saliva to his side. Grimmjow couldn't help but mirror Soifon's cocky smirk right when he saw it. "Don't think I need Suzumebachi to win all my battles," she declared, risking a glance around the crowd and laughing inwardly. They were clearly not amused at her close brush with death, especially not a certain raven-haired member of the thirteenth division who was whispering something over to Renji.

Whatever, she liked it. She hadn't felt her adrenaline at such a high level since her arm had rotted off thanks to the old _Segunda_. Her arms fell next to her back and let her shrug off her damaged haori, frowning when Grimmjow did the same to his jacket. Was he mocking her? There wasn't anything significantly wrong with it. "I'm going to beat that smirk off your face," Soifon whispered loud enough for only her adversary to hear.

Unnatural wisps of white kido energy curled around her arms in a deceivingly slow fashion that didn't do justice to what she was about to employ.

All at once, a great torrent of power exploded from the upper half of her body, creating dual cyclones of pale lightning around her arms. The air became dense with reiatsu, crushing everything unable to bear it to the ground. "This is my Shunkou, Arrancar." She shouted proudly over the roaring winds. "It's gotten better and I've needed something to try it out on."

"Huh."

Grimmjow's aura rippled with killing intent at the sight of the Onmitsukido's prized technique. "Well…" He started almost sheepishly, frustrating the Captain to no end by his lack of fear and amazement. "Yours sure is a lot better than mine." Soifon's jaw dropped. "What did you say?" She barked, eyes wide.

"Hollows are naturally good at using reiryoku," Grimmjow explained shadily, sheathing _Pantera._ "But our bodies can't use your Shinigami arts very well," he continued, holding out his right arm and sparking a bolt of blue energy. "But what we can learn…we learn it fast." An uncontrollable maelstrom of azure kido essence that rivaled even Soifon's shredded through the atmosphere but where hers was tamed an elegant; his was savage and inflamed. "Picked this up just from watching that other woman fight me and we practiced it together after I blew myself up the first time." He laughed frenziedly "I really suck at it but one hit is all I need!"

Both Shunkou users converged in an instant, resulting in an explosion that rocked the ocean into a tumultuous surge.

* * *

Grimmjow awoke to find a rather serious Unohana Retsu staring through his blurry vision.

"Do you have any idea what the consequences were of that needless fight?" She scolded in a soft tone that carried with it worry, anger, and above all, almost a parental form of a defeated happiness in seeing that he was alright. "Sorry," the Vice-Captain muttered half-heartedly, shaking his head clear and looking around to see Soifon next to him with Isane presiding over her nearly-healed wounds. "You idiot," she grumbled.

"What the fu-…what happened?" He asked the prone form of his superior, looking from her to Isane who met his eyes before turning away with a slight blush and then back to Unohana. "That kido you performed…" She began distastefully. "I'm afraid it backfired and shattered every bone in your right arm and shoulder." Grimmjow slumped down at that, taking notice that he was on top of a beach towel and under an umbrella while the sounds of people happily playing in the surf told him that at least he hadn't killed anyone. "But healing broken bones is a simple task," Unohana continued with an upbeat note. "I know you don't like to owe people favors but I'm only going to ask you for some more candy from Urahara-san."

Three sweatdrops trickled down the general vicinity. "Next time anyway. For now, I want you to spend tonight back in Soul Society to regain your health."

"What, we didn't even use Bankai or _Resurreccion._ Why? " The Arrancar almost demanded, immediately regretting his tone as well as his questions when a mirror was put in front of his face, showing his still-transformed eyes. "Well that'd do it, alright." He sighed. "And I guess everybody knows about _it_ now."

"That makes two annoying secrets coming out today," Soifon retorted hotly, taking a hammer to the ice around her personality. Grimmjow's curiosity reached a high point when Isane's flush deepened, turning over to the other impromptu E.R. towel. "What'd ya mean by that, Shaolin?" He inquired slowly, noticing that the hunger in his abdomen was the only thing keeping him anchored to a shred of his previous behavior. "I meant that the same woman who thought it would be _hilarious_ to teach you that abomination of Shunkou also used a micro-recording device from twelfth division to observe a dock further down the coast last night and make copies for the entire S.W.A." She was shaking in rage now, her lips contorted into a livid sneer. Laughter probably wasn't the best thing for her to hear at the moment.

Unohana giggled a little herself, nothing compared to the hyena-esque sounds coming from her patient though. "Well that just makes my fu-…day." He snickered. "So how'd I do then, Shaolin? You can tell me if these two already know. I'll tell ya right now: that was the most fun I've had in a while and you passed _my_ test." Soifon shot him a glare but couldn't help smirking slightly at the knowledge that she had accomplished her end of the deal that they had made the night before. All that was left to do was say the same to him which was easy enough due to the fact that her feelings and respect for him had only amplified from the fight. Yes, seeing him as a whole was refreshing to say the least. He was so much like her and yet so different; there was a coldness in him and there was a fiery passion for everything he believed in just like her. There were so many subtle layers of him and she would enjoy peeling them off and studying them in great detail if they were to enter a relationship.

_Still, there were those calculating and ancient eyes of his. They must have been from when he was a full Hollow. _

"I haven't decided if you're good enough or not," she stated curtly, causing Grimmjow to furrow his brows and do his imitation of a pout: something that appeared to be what a lion would look like after it had eaten too much. "Well fine," he countered, tugging his gaze up to Isane. "Hey, Lady. I just got interested in trying out the other end of the height spectrum."

A pause came, too long for anybody to be comfortable. Two heavy frowns and a punch to the unarmored jaw later, Grimmjow was being chastised for creating only more work for the master healer by saying such offensive things. "Where is your honor?" Unohana asked, a question not meant to be answered, she wasn't done yet. "Isane is very conscious about her height and that was no way to treat your Taicho," she admonished with a wag of her finger, expertly kneading the newly-bruised tissue. "I was only playin'," the Arrancar mumbled, sending a smile over to Soifon that wasn't received as well as he had hoped. Giving up on that for the time being, he moved on to the Vice-Captain. "And I don't know why you don't like being tall. It gives ya something different than the average woman and it ain't like its making you look bad or anything," he explained sincerely, staring up into the stratosphere where Isane's self-esteem was now residing in. She thanked him coyly and finished her treatment, easing the repaired officer up to a sitting position.

"Well now that's better," Unohana chimed pleasantly. "Alright, all done. I'll go prepare a Senkaimon for your trip back."

"That won't be necessary."

Yoruichi trotted over to the seaside hospital and crouched down playfully next to Grimmjow. "I told you to practice more before you tried to fight with Shunkou," she chided, ignoring the 'fuck you' face she received from both second division officers. "Looking a little Hollow there, Grimm. Good job scaring everybody." The dark-skinned woman proceeded to ruffle his hair and then turn to the fourth squad Captain with a dead serious countenance. "Don't worry about him; I'll take care of it. There's no reason why he should have to return to Soul Society when I can fix this in a matter of minutes." She held out her arm to the former _Espada_, meeting instantaneous protest from Unohana and her protégé. "Shihouin-san, that's far too risky. Many people here aren't completely comfortable around Arrancar yet and that seeing that won't help at all. Then there's the chance that you could become seriously injured." The former criticized in a hushed voice.

"I'll be alright; I'm the only one here without a power limiter. Besides, he has a thing for women and he wouldn't dare hurt one like me, right kitty?" Yoruichi questioned dismissively. "Hurry up and do whatever you have to do before I realize how stupid this is and change my mind."

Everyone looked expectantly at Grimmjow to see what his choice would be, becoming on edge when they saw that his eyes had increased in intensity and his mouth was open to showcase rows of unnaturally sharp teeth. "You asked for it, Cat Lady." He growled, grabbing and plunging his canines into the outstretched appendage, defying the cries from Soifon and Unohana to desist.

Pure and thick reiryoku drained into his body, a flowing stream of heady sustenance that eased the pressure of his Hollow hole. He savored it: the ambrosia of his species, downing it slowly but in massive quantities. It was easier to control the intake when the influx came from a bite as opposed to the ingestion of a part of the host's body so he could take his time. Luckily, no one else seemed to be watching save the four women.

"That's…enough," Yoruichi panted, wincing when red-stained cones of ivory dislodged themselves from her arm. Grimmjow still held onto it, his reiatsu was burning around him savagely but controlled, carrying every primordial urge with it. He bent his head down and ran his tongue over the puncture wounds, lapping up the blood earnestly while his Captain watched with a seed of jealousy blooming inside her chest.

"I'd forgotten how good you taste…" Soifon's lip twitched involuntarily, cracking her knuckles in cold wrath. "…Yoruichi." There was a flash and the Arrancar slammed into the ground, crimson fluid leaking from his cheek.

"You bastard!" Soifon screamed, stomping on his spine. She then shot her eyes over to her mentor who met her gaze shamefully, an apologetic glimmer overtaking her golden orbs. "You just had to beat me at everything, didn't you?"

Grimmjow took this opportunity to remove his face from the ground and flip over to glare at his superior. "The hell was that for, Shaolin?" He shouted, raising a teal brow at her dumbfounded reaction. His yellow irises had reverted back to their glacial blue and he was looking for some answers. Needless to say, he didn't get any because Soifon stalked off to the Surf Shack, leaving a trail of icy fury in her wake.

Barging through the open doors of the sparsely furnished structure, she passed wordlessly in front of Hitsugaya Toushiro and ascended a nearby staircase that put her on the roof. She was greeted by a flat, open space, decorated only by a few weatherproof tables, chairs, and umbrellas. There was a railing extending around the entire expanse, the front of which provided an excellent view of the ocean. Soifon dragged her feet over to it and slumped over the iron bar, panning across the various people playing in the water and relaxing in the sand. She spotted Grimmjow talking to Yoruichi, no longer in the company of the fourth division. That irked her considerably until she noticed that his expression was somewhat pained and regretful.

_Maybe I overreacted._

Their discussion was inaudible and she was too far away for even her trained eyes to read most of what they were saying but she could make out that Yoruichi was berating him by her exaggerated hand gestures and that she was probably telling him to apologize after that. Then the two shared a cat-like smirk and walked off into separate directions.

_I didn't even give them any time to explain themselves but knowing those two…I think I guessed correctly what he meant when he said that. That bastard, making me so jealous and irrational. I'm certain their relationship was only physical though and they can't still be seeing each other…can they? No, Yoruichi wouldn't do that to me, would she? Fuck, I hope not._

_If it's all in the past then I can get by it but damn him if he thinks he's getting away with only two injuries from what he said to Kotetsu and her._

A deep sigh expelled all the air out of her lungs and she breathed back in slowly, closed-eyed and letting a small deal of anger and envy evaporate into the heat. It certainly did pay to be level-headed in the game of attraction. For now, she just needed some space…

"Hello, Lady Taicho."

…Which seemed to be a rare material these days. At least the man addressing her wasn't Byakuya or Grimmjow, it was a neutral person on her list and that was about the only kind she could tolerate right then. "Acting Taicho Starrk," she returned tiredly, frowning when he sat down at a table and gestured for her to join him, hesitating initially but she figured she may as well get her mind onto another track. "Is there something you would like to discuss?" The petite woman inquired impertinently, falling unceremoniously into a deck chair. "I saw what happened." Well that dashed her hopes for a relaxing new topic.

Starrk rubbed his temples in irritation at the wordless reply he received, he'd much rather be sleeping than doing what he was about to do.

"You most likely don't know this but I'm exceptionally talented at reading people," he stated casually, leaning over with his elbows planted uncomfortably on the table. "And based on what I've seen, you two are obviously infatuated at one level or another." Another arctic glare. "Am I mistaken?" Soifon shook her head and hazarded a long breath. "Well don't give me that look then, I'm calling you over for this pain in the ass talk to help you out." Silence and a confirming nod. "Alright sit tight and listen, don't interrupt, I'm only going to go through this once and leave."

Soifon sat up attentively and the _Primera_ began…

"Grimmjow's been alive for a while even by Hollow standards. Over his lifetime, he came to symbolize everything about Hueco Mundo. He was fearless, powerful, and one of the best predators I've ever seen. Yes, I came in contact with him a couple times back before we became Arrancar," Stark denounced quickly, waving his hand as if he was shooing away physical manifestations of questions. "He was the next Adjuchas meant to become Vasto Lorde, killing and consuming thousands of our species over centuries of time, risking his life every day only to become stronger. One time, he was close…so unbearably close to evolving that he went to the surface and hunted around _Las Noches_ for something strong to give him that extra push but that was around the time when Aizen first came to Hueco Mundo about one hundred years ago."

Starrk stopped himself and let a disgusted sound escape his throat. "Grimmjow ran into Tousen and he lost, got captured, and was caged inside the palace. When he first told me this I think he mentioned something about his mask getting broken. But anyway, he was the second Arrancar created by the Hougyoku which was barely awakened at the time. The power change was so insignificant that where he was one of the strongest Adjuchas, he became only the _Sexta Espada_. Another side-effect was the unnecessary hunger for souls…He deserved better than that." Soifon titled her head at his tone; it was implying that he was in some sort of painful memory. She knew that Hollows respected strength but she didn't think that they did so to the degree that they would be upset by one of their own being denied power.

"So now you know where his hunger comes from, Lady Taicho. And when he gets hungry, he loses control of himself so whatever he said to piss you off, he probably didn't mean it." Starrk got up from his chair and worked out a kink in his neck. "So do us both a favor and get over it because I hate watching stuff like this happen around me, got it? He deserves better than that after all he's been through."

The second division Commander motioned for him to wait but he was already gone in a buzz of _sonido_.

* * *

Day turned into night and Soifon was cursing herself for the unnerving amount of silence between herself and her Vice-Captain. The concept was simple, he hadn't apologized yet and she hadn't forgiven him, nothing more to it but that didn't mean she was content with the simplicity of their situation. No, their little test was over and they were supposed to be progressing further on her command. However, she couldn't bring herself to give herself to him completely. At least she was back on good terms with her mentor plus she had changed into more appropriate clothes.

Starrk's words had given her sympathy for him even though he would punch her if he ever found out. She too was hanging onto something unbearably close, it was her decision to take him in but she needed something of his to push her to the choice she wanted.

Soifon mulled her relationship over and over again in her head, sitting on a wide circle of logs where a large pit had been dug in the middle, prompting the group to light a bonfire at sundown. Dinner was over and those with less stamina had already headed for bed, leaving the others to share light-hearted stories while drinking or roasting sweets near the flames. Grimmjow had disappeared saying that he would return shortly, jogging off to his tent and the Captain found herself wondering just what the hell he was doing.

Her question was answered when an odd black case landed on the opposite side of the circle with a loud 'poof' that startled nearly everyone and shook her back to reality.

"Is that what I think it is?" Starrk asked disbelievingly, a rare touch of excitement traceable on his features. "Damn right it is," Grimmjow answered; relieved that his vocals were now unrestrained due to Unohana's absence as he and the _Primera_ huddled around the box and undid the steel buckles binding it shut, opening up the mysterious container together. Several people leaned in and Yoruichi even got up and walked over to survey the unveiling. "Oh you've got to be kidding me," she chuckled, shaking her head and returning to her seat next to her former student who wondered aloud about the contents. "It's an acoustic guitar."

"What's that?"

"It's a stringed instrument, Kisuke used to play when we went out drinking."

Grimmjow hefted the curvy object and gave it to Starrk, eliciting a myriad of confused eyes from the crowd. "Thought it'd be nice to liven up the party a little," he said with a smirk, moving his head back to the other man with him and kicking the case closed. "I didn't know you two knew how to play." Yoruichi laughed across the pit, taking it upon herself to explain what was going on to the many oblivious spectators. "Let's just say there ain't a whole lot to do in _Las Noches _and one of the _fraccion_ decided to pick it up for us one day on a food run in the Living World. We like it, reminds us of ourselves. Got a hole in it and it sounds sweet, fits in your body like a woman. Who the hell wouldn't like a guitar?" Grimmjow asked rhetorically, earning a hail from Rangiku and the only dark-skinned woman present.

"So I take it I'm up first?" Starrk mumbled, brushing his goatee with his thumb and sitting back down at a nod. He gave it a strum and smiled at the rich Latin notes sounding along the body. "It's already tuned pretty well to what we're used to," he commented to no one but the blue-haired Vice-Captain, tweaking the pegheads only a little to his liking. Following that, he relaxed into a slow song that met with unanimous approval around the group.

The night wore on with a pleasant ambience, no small part thanks to the Spanish guitar that Starrk had playing nonstop for nearly an hour. All of his melodies had been slow, blending in with the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore and the crackles of the firewood, setting an atmosphere that put even Soifon in good spirits. One thing still tugged at her mind though, why had Grimmjow been content to sit so far away from her and not even take a second look at the instrument? He had on occasion, glanced her way in his definably easygoing fashion and that was the single line preventing her from going over to him and demanding that he express himself in one way or another.

As if on cue, the current tune stopped and the musician passed the wooden bulk over, muttering a hardly-discernable 'good luck' as he got up and excused himself to bed. "Ah, I'm only gonna play one and I'll be out of it too," Grimmjow called after him before he focused his attention solely on Soifon and gave her a cocky grin below eyes that said 'this is for you so don't fucking brush it off'.

His song began similarly to one of Starrk's, plucking steady and full-bodied notes while his thumb gave the occasional strum, overlapping one of the other sounds. This continued for several seconds until he rolled his fingers over the strings expertly and slapped the hole, producing a strange percussion that fit in remarkably well in between the gap in the melody. Grimmjow then eased into another soft harmony, keeping his eyes steadily pinned to his superior when he clapped the guitar again, this time resuming in an upbeat and slightly faster roll of expressive notes that ended with a transition into the higher pitches preceding a third strike. A flurry of rich sounds came afterwards; his melody picking up into a much more emotional one than those played by the _Primera_ and Soifon could see the underlying meaning plain as day. It was his way of apologizing and conveying something deeper to his Captain.

From then on, she was entranced by the fast and passionate stretches of the song and the way that the fire itself appeared to react in kind, throwing dancing shadows across his face, accenting his hard jaw and ever-telling eyes. At times, he would slow and brush his fingertips delicately across the strings, abruptly and unpredictably changing the speed in a way that was so much like him. The hits to the body…well they was probably a metaphor or at least that was _the_ way she interpreted it that sent her head spinning and she was still on her second cup of sake. All the while, never taking her eyes away from his.

Minutes passed like hours in the dull glow of the bonfire as Grimmjow continued his provocative serenade, accelerating the melody into powerful bursts of raw music. He stalled a final time to pluck a few innocent notes and then erupted back into a frenzy of sound that was interrupted by a pair of double taps with his hand, finishing with a quick drag of his index finger over the strings and a forceful strum.

Applause came from the men and the women turned their heads simultaneously over to the second division Commander with a barrage of jealous pouts and saucy winks. She ignored it all, choosing to remain staring at her Vice-Captain instead. It was safe to say that the song was the push she needed and now she was freefalling over the edge in a mix of emotions, none of them negative.

"Well I'm off to bed. G'night all," Grimmjow declared, packing up the guitar, acting oblivious to what he had just done, and imparting his superior with a victorious smirk on the way back to his tent. He didn't even look twice as he trekked through the sand, zipping open the flap to his lodgings and laying the case by the futon after he had shrugged off his jacket and fallen onto the furniture. Everything was going according to plan, all he had to do now was wait and that was what he did for nearly forty-five minutes until a familiarly cold reiatsu made its way towards him. On impulse, he ceased his conversation with _Pantera_, ending the argument over how he didn't want to be licked so much and tossed the sword over to the corner of the tent.

* * *

Where there was once shyness, there was deadset resolve. Where there was once fear of pain, there was physical immunity. And where there was once hate, there was now…

The flap opened and a petite silhouette stood at the entrance, arms crossed and appearing as imposing as ever in the darkness of the night.

"Yo, Shinigami. Did you choose yet?"

Grimmjow's teeth gleamed almost visibly amidst the pitch-black interior.

"Always so many irrelevant questions, Arrancar." an icy tone drawled venomously, its source taking a step inside and furrowing her brows when the sound of buckles opening pricked up her ears. Next thing she new, her reflexes acted on their own accord and caught a metal cylinder out of the air. "You know what that is, right?" She smiled darkly and stretched the object telescopically, twisted it, and then pushed it back down where it emitted a dull red light that partially illuminated the chamber. "I should've known that you had this all planned out," Soifon chuckled. "But allow me to show you that you will never be able to predict my every movement. Restrain and immobilize, Bakudou number one: Sai." Grimmjow's arms bent violently around his back, bound by the full force of the Kido spell. The curses sure to entail never came when Soifon relinquished the strange cylinder and gagged Grimmjow's mouth with a rolled cloth.

She remained over his head, dropping her lithe frame down alongside his and throwing her leg over his waist as she snaked her hands up his bare chest, filling in the stone ridges of muscle with her fingers. "And here I thought you were going to be more of a challenge," she whined sultrily in a mock disappointment that would have made Yoruichi proud. "But I suppose…" She pressed her lips to his pectorals, trailing fleeting kisses up to his collarbone, smiling when muffled snarls reached her ears. "…That this time I'll just have to let it slide." A point she planned on illustrating when her hand palmed his stomach, tracing an agonizingly slow circle around his Hollow hole before plunging underneath his hakama.

His legs twitched when she gripped the hardening flesh beneath the white fabric, massaging it lazily, aiming one of Grimmjow's smirks right back at him at the sight of the low amount of light shading his stressed and angrily humiliated expression. "You want to be free, don't you?" Soifon ridiculed, planting a chaste kiss at the center of his throat and the source of a low rumbling building inside him. Her head fell sideways on his chest, taking in his scent of the desert. "I'm so sorry, Arrancar." The Captain rose and withdrew her hands, switching from the previous task to tearing the remaining clothes from him, pleased to see that there weren't much of them.

Staring with unrestrained admiration at his naked body and the dormant well of power residing within it, she let out a mirthful noise. "You're mine now and there's not a damn thing you can do about it," Soifon whispered, taking her Zanpakuto that had been previously resting at her belt and drawing it while she straddled Grimmjow, leaning her face down so that it was an inch above his. "If you so much as say one word, I'll have fun choosing something to take away as a trophy." Without warning, her sword cut across the tender skin of his throat, damaging only skin due to the _hierro_. She looked at the line of crimson and licked her lips, keeping her eyes on Grimmjow's until they vanished beneath his chin, allowing her to drag her tongue along his injured neck.

"I'd forgotten how good you taste…" Soifon moved herself completely on top of him and stared into the frozen irises that she had been so captivated by. She tilted up the gag and smashed her lips into his with bruising strength, darting her tongue into his mouth and depositing a small amount of blood. This was met with the only resistance Grimmjow could muster, fighting back her kisses ferociously, suppressing her with the only thing he could move. Soon enough, she lost the battle and abruptly parted, leaving a gossamer string of saliva connecting their lips. "…Grimmjow." His name rolled out as if it were a taboo word.

The Captain stood and swung her leg around him so that her feet were no longer apart; she then undid her belt which dropped Suzumebachi's sheath to the ground. Her legs wriggled free of the tight jeans in an uncharacteristically feminine fashion while the Arrancar watched hungrily, not making a sound. He did however; exhale bestially when Soifon stepped over him again and lowered herself onto his pelvis with only her swimsuit separating him from her heated sex.

A sword found its way back to his throat, digging threateningly into the already healing wound as black pools loomed over blue, both closing when the mouths beneath them crashed together in a passionate kiss. There was no uncertainty or hesitation in either of their actions nor was there any emotion. It was raw, animalistic desire leading them, seeping into every lick, every bite, and every attempt to swallow the other's lips and make them submit. They stayed, tongues linked and vying for dominance until Soifon gave herself the edge by experimentally grinding her hips hard against him, earning a snarl. She continued the motion several times, discovering it to be mutually pleasurable.

Moments passed and rational thought was nowhere to be found in her mind, she was lost to the man under her and the two of them had enough of the foreplay.

Soifon tore the thin barrier of dripping fabric away from her and positioned Grimmjow at her entrance, working him with her hand before sliding over him and stifling a moan. She started slowly, bending her knees on the outside of his thighs and taking in a little more every time he slipped into her until she hit his abdominals. Satisfied that the tightness resulting in decades of inactivity hadn't made it painful, she rested her left hand on his chest and her right at his neck, clutching her sword and began to rock her hips along his length. She reveled in the fullness of him, filling up her depth to the wall which most would've found highly uncomfortable but she loved it. Their speed increased, eagerly conjoining themselves at an inhuman pace.

Grimmjow could hardly keep up with his restrained mobility, the best he could do was buck himself up into her during the periods when she would raise herself off of him, smirking when the result was a high-pitched gasp. The rest of his available abilities were in what he could do with his senses and it was driving him wild. Seeing Soifon bounce on top of him, her tightly-coiled muscles pulsing as sweat ran down her body, glistening like liquid glass in the dim red light compelled him into a ravenous want to make her his. It was the way she was looking at him, boring her ebony gaze into his berserk glare that infuriated him and made him mad with lust. The way her eyes remained cold and undeterred by the rolling pleasure of their movements as her breaths escaped as short ragged pants every time she charged down with a wet slap of skin on skin, it made him want to ravage her with everything he had.

The Bakudou loosened.

He shot up and sank his teeth into her neck, clamping shut with almost enough force to bite off a piece of her shoulder. She screamed in agony but he ignored it, drinking in her reiryoku eagerly before breaking his maw away from her, crying a shrill Hollow roar and pinning her to the futon. There was no time for objections, he was in control now and he was going to show her what happened when someone thought otherwise. He ripped off her shirt and took her into a heated kiss, penetrating her hard and fast with no regard to what it could do to her. Quick work was made of the bikini top.

Meanwhile, Soifon was in a state of shock. He had broken her spell and subdued her with a level of strength that he had never exhibited on any occasion. And then his lips came. Spiritual energy and blood flowed back into her just as he resumed their sex, entangling their reiatsu so completely that his pure carnal instincts were now hers as well. She opened her eyes to see him above her, eyes hollowized and his body crashing into hers, causing jolts of heavenly excruciation racing like lightning all through her entirety. But no matter how much she enjoyed it or how much the total subjugation aroused her to the edge of climax, she couldn't let him win.

She searched in vain for her sword, giving up the instant the twisted chorus of moans and animalistic grunts signaled the transition to a rough coupling that would've probably killed most humans. Grimmjow embraced her in a strangling grip, raking his nails along her back, tearing tanned skin in favor of bloodied and tortured flesh. Soifon responded with the same, holding him tighter until the space between them was less than the width of air as her fists unfurled into clawed hands on his spine and her inner muscles contracted around him with the apex of every thrust.

For a time, they moved mechanically, hammering their thighs together anxiously, looking into each other's eyes, biting, scratching, striking, and swallowing their combined blood in an attempt to escape total submission.

Grimmjow recoiled from a hard left to his jaw, knocking the couple into a roll that ended with Soifon on top, shrieking when his hand latched onto her shoulder and squeezed her puncture wounds. She pried the fingers off with brute force and toppled backwards as the Arrancar puller her legs out from under her, ramming her to the floor and taking a hardened nipple in his mouth. He suckled it with deceptive care, flicking it with his tongue and then pinching it between his canines. The resulting sound made him jerk inside of her, bringing them both unbearably close to release.

Soifon tried to fight back but his strength proved to be too much and she was lifted into the air weightlessly, spun around, and shoved back onto the bed backwards, feeling Grimmjow's chest plaster itself over her back and his arms bend below hers in a manner that locked them in what may as well have been steel cuffs. He lunged repeatedly into her hips, sending her eyes rolling up on their own accord before he pulled her face to his and kissed her like his life was at stake. She felt him, how he reduced her to helplessness, complete loss. She felt the knot in her abdomen explode into sheer gratification and her body shudder as warm fluid shot into her, imparting her with a complete satiation. Her body writhed in ecstatic aftershocks and her vision was blurred, able to only distinguish a jagged mask of white fangs amongst the faint crimson glow about the tent.

Their pace slowed to a stop and Grimmjow rolled to the side, taking Soifon with him. He nuzzled his face into her hair and inhaled deeply, too pleased to protest when she pulled him out of her and turned to face him, leaking their orgasm into the sheets. Neither had the mental capacity to formulate words yet and so they simply rested against each other: The Captain and her subordinate. She closed her eyes and traced abstract patterns with her hand in the gore around his chest, admiring the scent of blood and moonlit sand radiating off of him. Her lips found his neck and sucked a bruise onto it while he rubbed his cheek along the top of her head.

"Well…" She purred, her tone one of immense satisfaction. "You win this time," Grimmjow chuckled, gripping the small of her back possessively. "I don't do it for the victory, Shaolin. I do it for the love of the fight." He whispered humorously, giving a silken lock of her hair a soft tug. "In that case," Soifon began, jabbing his chin with her elbow, causing them both to laugh cordially. "We'll make it best eleven out of twenty."

Two lustful smirks lit up the room, promising little sleep for the Second Division officers.

* * *

**Whatever, drop a review and tell me how I did. I missed three of my usual reviewers last time and I'm wondering where they went. **

**Next long chapter after the third interlude: I'm going to sum it up by combining every event into a physical being. SexyByakuyaDramamelon. There ya go. :P **

**Reader Response!**

**Smiley Person: Gah, only getting six hours a day. Glad you liked the chapter though.**

**Lovemydogs82: Well aren't you the psychic. I had that planned out more or less. Though Soifon getting jealous over Grimmjow's vampire phase was inspired your idea. Thanks for the inspiration. Idea #1 INCORPORATED**

**Silentshadow55: I agree, wish it happened in canon but it doesn't *sigh* No Grimmjow doesn't brush his mask fragment because it came from Aizen and everything from Aizen is white forever. And yes, it gets between the teeth but it's nowhere near as annoying as when he gets sand in his hollow hole and it falls down his pants when he stands up too fast**

**Artemis: This story is on a wonkavator, it goes every way except down. Thanks for being a loyal reviewer.**

**Flurry of Freezing Flames: The beach is a little over the top, I know. But hey, it's all in good fun. And I already had plans for the Hollow melons so I hope next chapter will make the whole idea less ridiculous to you. But let me just say that I have no intention of anything happening with tentacles…'tis a little weird even for me. Idea #2 INCORPORATED Idea #3 omitted due to the fact that I don't want to go there. Thanks for the review!**

**Veldare: Now that's a review, seems like your past occupation is hard to shake, huh? I would've listened to you regardless, I'm not the kind of person who shrugs off helpful opinions because they're not all praise and sunshine so don't worry about it. So here we go, I'm going to answer all your points down a line (hopefully I'll show you that I'm not so disastrously disorganized…I kind of need to convince myself as well). :P**

**Yes, I know. My characters are gods on Earth or the afterlife if that's where they decide to go next. Necessary? Hell no, I didn't need to make them that way but they sure are fun to write like that. That's my reason for doing that: to have fun. I'm selfish like that and so my Pulitzer is a long ways off.**

**Grimmjow's and Rukia's relationship: not going to be ignored after this, I've had a plan all along so don't worry and it will satisfy most of the problems you've outlined. The only one that won't be fixed is her absence from earlier chapters. Yup, that's forever a screw up on my part. But I will say that there's a better reason why she won't accept his apology. Also, the fact that everyone believes him to some extent or another was for convenience. Once again, I'm a selfish bastard. I'll try to work on this so I don't make any more holes…let me find my sewing kit. _**

**As for the SWA in an almost unanimous agreement to take him along because he was appealing. I mean this is Bleach, the franchise that has people in charge of delivering our souls to the afterlife equipped with the biggest personality flaws ever. My defense for their decision is that it would've probably happened in such an improbable and near-laughable manner even if this story magically became canon and was written by Kubo. Weak counterargument, I know but I can only fight something like that with cop-out logic.**

**Unohana's nickname: if it were to stand alone, I would completely agree with you but there's a good reason why she lets him call her that. No she is not his actual mother, no they didn't have a relationship, and no she doesn't secretly love him.**

**Yes, this Grimmjow is a slippery slope. A character that's too dynamic for his own good but let's just say that these beach chapters were made for not only romantic acceleration but also for smoothing out the rough patches and melting the ice. I hope you like the next long chapter after the third interlude because that'll be the focus (I actually did have this planned out so it won't be some hastily thrown together mess of me trying to right everything wrong in one big jumbled wall of words).**

**The relationship talk from chp. 2: Yoruichi was used there to channel the feelings of other characters in addition to her own. Not sure if I'll give her a pairing because the one I have already needs enough maintenance as it is.**

**Thanks for the praise, hope you continue reading and enjoy the story from here on out.**

* * *

Author's Note: Well, well wasn't that something? If anyone can find a woman that actually enjoys something like that, please give her my number. Anyhow, I was wonderin' 'bout how I did with writing the fight and the lemon. I had trouble with the latter and the former felt like it was too long. Dunno, I've heard good things about how I write my fights in the past and generally good reviews about sex so I'm not too worried. Though that sex was the lovey-dovey omg I was a female virgin and I got an 'O' within two minutes like most of the unrealistic sex you find around here.


	10. Interlude III: Usurp Nature's Throne

Nights at the beach are always calm provided there is fair weather, leaving the open expanse of the sky clear for those who wish to view the stars and the moon. When the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore, the low rustling of tropical arbor in the wind, and the lazy sounds of nocturnal animals combine just right into a natural melody, someone can truly feel at ease, content to sleep all evening in the sand if need be. However, if that someone or someones intend to do something noisy and rather intimate, it is advised that whatever activities they engage in be committed elsewhere…

Soifon cried out in pure unadulterated ecstasy, coming down hard from her latest orgasm and collapsing against Grimmjow's chest in complete exhaustion. Her breaths escaped her mouth as soft pants beneath half-lidded eyes. The man beneath her only smirked, running his fingers through her hair and pulling himself out of her as he cradled her in his arms. Luckily for his Captain, their sex had evolved from a basic instinctual form of release to a more passionate and expressive series of lovemaking sessions. Otherwise, she would probably have died from blood loss, her lightheadedness testified to that. At least this time she had come out literally on top.

"What's the score up to?" Grimmjow inquired slyly, planting a kiss on the back of his superior's neck while they lay sideways in bed, her back facing him. "I stopped keeping track after the sixth time," Soifon admitted with a mirthful but fatigued chuckle. "Well that's no good, Shaolin. Now we have to start back from round one and go until one of us pins the other eleven times," the Arrancar groaned in mock exasperation, earning a light-hearted laugh from the woman in his embrace. It was the first time he had heard such a noise come from her and he reveled in it. He only hoped that he could have more opportunities to hear it again. But in the meantime, he was content where he was, his nose in her raven liquid silk and arm around her toned stomach. "Tempting but I want a few hours of sleep before sunrise. I want to shower and refrain from anything suspicious when the time comes for everyone to wake up."

There was a comfortable pause following the declaration, allowing the two to enjoy their warmth and the noise of the distant surf.

"So what does this make us?" Soifon asked after several minutes, her voice laden with hopeful uncertainty. Grimmjow frowned inside her hair, closing his eyes and nuzzling further into her body with affection akin to a feline. "How the hell should I know," he began dismissively. "You know more about that kind of stuff than I do. My heart's only a year old ya know?" Now the darkness of the tent was stricken with a different kind of silence. "Then at least tell me if you feel anything for me so that I know I haven't wasted my time again," the petite woman sighed, her eyes downcast and fingers idly playing with a set of blood splatters on the linens below her. "I already told you that it wasn't one-sided, didn't I?" She smirked and gave in to the heaviness of her eyelids. "A woman like you? Hot tempered, sexy, capable of giving and receiving a good fucking beating, smart, and a fighter in and out of bed: how could a guy like me not get all mushy for ya?" Grimmjow growled playfully, nipping at her ear.

_Best answer I can give you right now. Like I said…I'm pretty new to all this so do me a favor and give me some time._

Meanwhile, Soifon had smiled and tilted her head back to press her lips on her subordinate's mask fragment, an area that she had discovered was quite sensitive during their more adventurous couplings. "I suppose that's good enough for tonight," she muttered, bringing a mercifully clean sheet up to her with a dexterous maneuvering of her foot and throwing it over herself and Grimmjow. "But as your Taicho, I have three new orders for you. One: you will not so much as joke about fraternizing with any other woman unless you want to lose the tool to do so. Two: you will always be there when I wake up when we sleep together unless I give you permission to do otherwise. Three: You will not say one word about any private relations between us to anyone but me or I _will_ kill you." Soifon listed, still managing to sound dangerous despite how sleepy she was.

"Can't you cut me some slack and move the 'permission' bit to rule one instead of two?" Grimmjow snickered, his wide grin unfazed by an elbow to the ribs. "Goodnight, Arrancar." Soifon snarled half-heartedly, snuggling into the covers and the crimson-stained body of her Vice-Captain. "G'night, Shinigami," he answered with a carnal hiss, welcoming slumber's waiting reprieve.

He awoke almost instantly after falling asleep, finding himself in a cool environment that reeked of flora and stagnant moisture.

A lone, gaudy rope bridge stretched into a linear infinity, hanging in the canopy of a dense rainforest. The wooden planks were weathered but dry, resting in askew positions that resulted from poor craftsmanship. The air was quiet save the chorus of leaves brushing against their uncountable brethren, providing a serene ambience. Above the dilapidated extension, through the foliage that waved leisurely in the tropical breeze, existed a night sky so halcyon that multicolored clouds of cosmic dust could be seen staining the tapestry of dappled starlight centering around a full harvest moon.

"It's been quite a while since I've seen such a beautiful sky."

Grimmjow rose, sidling over to the edge of the bridge and tossing his feet over the edge, falling on his back with arms bent around his head. He was in his _Resurreccion_ form which made it difficult to prevent his elongated hair from snagging on the abundance of splinters. "I gotta say," he began, whistling admirably at the scenery. "You weren't wrong about it looking good. How long's it been like this?"

His Zanpakuto's spirit padded along the wooden boards, swishing his tail behind him until he sank down next to his master and mirrored his stare up towards the heavens. "It's been exceptionally magnificent since your kiss yesterday." The jaguar replied, his voice grating out in a naturally guttural tone. "Good job on tonight by the way, I was sure you'd manage to fuck up some way or another but you didn't. I think that woman might actually like you." He continued, ignoring an angry scoff and getting to his haunches. "So you're probably wondering why I brought you in here."

_Pantera_ narrowed his eyes at the sight of Grimmjow's disinterested pose, clearing his throat when he refused to answer him.

"Yeah, yeah. You called me in here to look at the moon so shut up and let me enjoy it," the Arrancar grumbled, waving his hand airily. "What the hell are you talking about?! Did you forget about it already? We only talked about it nine days ago!" The spirit roared, attempting to swat his master upside the head with a razor-sharp set of gleaming claws, cutting nothing but air and hearing a faint buzz. Grimmjow disappeared momentarily, zooming back via _sonido _when the risk of getting shredded stooped moderately lower. "Oh," he started sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Guess I did forget about it now that ya mention it. We were talkin' about my _Segunda Etapa_. I remember now, it kind of slipped my mind since I was more focused on Shaolin." _Pantera _was visibly annoyed, how could his master put his emotional interests in front of a substantial increase in power?

"Go on, I want to hear why that woman made you so apathetic," he growled, bringing a paw up to his face and rubbing the short hairs along his forehead. The sword's frustration dissipated when his blue-haired wielder donned a heavily pensive expression. "Huh, I guess it would have to be because I got a little something for her right here," he yielded, patting at his heart. "Never met a woman like her before. I mean she's not the only one that took some scratches and gave me a good time but…something about her just makes me want more than that so I've been after her this whole time." Grimmjow stopped and began stroking the jaguar's neck. "I got power. I got enough to go toe to toe with almost everyone I know. Don't really care about it though, not like I'll be getting in a deathmatch with any Shinigami or those Hybrids in the next century or two."

_Pantera_ raised his head, leaving his jaw on the bridge. "So that woman is truly more important to you than power? You've certainly changed, _Sexta Espada_." Grimmjow nodded, catching his Zanpakuto's ear between his thumb and forefinger. "Everything's changed. It changed once when that bastard Tousen broke my mask and stopped me from evolving. And it changed again when the war ended. All I can hope for is that things stay where they are this time. Between Tia losing her mind and Nel forgetting everything but her damn name and Jiruga, I think I deserve at least what I have going now." He sighed, tugging his eyes up at the stars. "'Least Starrk will always be the same."

"Very well, you may have it."

Grimmjow cocked an eyebrow, turning his head to spot a very serious looking sword. "Finding something to fight for other than yourself wasn't what was truly required of you. I wanted you to break free from the thirst of power and find something else to anchor yourself to before you destroyed yourself and turned into Nnoitra. And now that you've done that by finding ties to this life in Soul Society and your woman…I can rest knowing that you won't misuse your second release for ill purposes." The spirit said solemnly, letting his slitted pupils vanish behind black eyelids.

Silence came between the two as a humid gust of wind blew through the jungle, stirring up the endless trees. "You trying to sound like Nel?" Grimmjow muttered darkly, rapping his clawed hand rhythmically on a piece of wood. "Relax, I was just saying what I really think. Besides, I don't see what the big deal is with her anyway. Or did you two have something going on before you became an Arrancar?" _Pantera_ prodded mischievously, dodging an explosive dart courtesy of his master's elbow. "Shut up, would ya? It wasn't like that. She and I just go way back to when Starrk and I were locked up to wait for years on end until Aizen got the Hougyoku. Nel and Tia got assigned to visit us and keep us sane by telling us 'bout _Las Noches_ and chat about anything and everything. Then Jiruga came in and conked her on the head so it was just me, Starrk, and Tia hanging around with us on the inside of the bars and her on the outside until we became Arrancar." Grimmjow explained distastefully. "Thanks for making me run through all that shit, I even told the _Primera_ to make up some lie about when Aizen grabbed a hold of me just to keep it out of my head and here you come reminding me of it."

He put up a hand to quiet his weapon before it even started to speak. "Don't want to hear about it any more. I was imprisoned for decades just so Aizen could make me stronger with the Hougyoku. Then when he finally transforms me, I get shit for power because the damn thing was barely activated. Would've been better if Tousen just let me evolve and then captured me but he was afraid, they were all so fucking afraid of what I could do to them. They knew I wasn't going to lie down and take their enslavement so they purposefully made me weak." The former _Espada_ spat with the utmost hatred. "So change the damn subject or let me go back to Shaolin where I'd much rather be right now instead of talking about power I don't care about anymore." Grimmjow concluded, defeated and worn, balling his hands into fists at the sound of laughter. "What is it now?"

"Its just that I think you'll really like _Segunda Etapa_ then since it's your own strength," _Pantera_ cackled, taking it upon himself to elaborate once it became abundantly clear that no further discussion would occur otherwise. "The second stage cannot be achieved by every Arrancar, only ones at Adjuchas-class who had the dormant potential to evolve. What it is, is a temporary evolution into a released Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar…this is all your doing, not Aizen's so lighten up. You…we will get the power we deserve; consider your evolution finally completed." Grimmjow smiled at the revelation, he may not have cared all that much about inheriting the _Segunda Etapa_ but he was relieved to know where it came from. "Thanks, sword."

"You're welcome, just keep out the rain and you'll find all the knowledge you need to perform the release in your head when you wake up in the morning."

With that said and done, Grimmjow was transported back to his tent in the form of him waking up.

His eyes fluttered open and were instantly greeted by the sight of Soifon who had unconsciously turned to face him in her sleep. Her face was calm, muscles loosened to allow a small opening of her mouth that spread apart only the slightest distance when she exhaled a low breath. This resulted in a warm burst of air washing across the Arrancar's chin every time her bare chest rose and fell. Loose strands of fine hair bent along the contours of her body before falling in a pool of black on the bedding. She appeared perfectly tranquil, none of her usual volatile frostfire persona detectable to any of the senses.

_Fuck, she's beautiful._

Gazing at her studiously, Grimmjow's icy stare wavered and melted into soft orbs of liquid teal. He had never seen her so at ease, so peaceful, so…vulnerable. It made him ponder if she would break into a million pieces if he so much as touched her. And then there was the lightness in his chest, that was new, definitely not something he had experienced when looking at a sleeping Yoruichi or any other woman on that note. No, there was some kind of attachment still in its infancy behind these foreign sensations. But he could wait to sort that out some other time; for now, he was far too tired. Rest was foremost on his mind but first, he reached over and pulled the sheet over Soifon's shoulders then dropped his arm around the small of her back protectively. Accomplishing that, he promptly slipped out of consciousness.

Meanwhile outside, a black cat sat on the sand while a stealthy Vice-Captain emerged from a tent next to the one where she was stationed.

"She's not in there," Rangiku giggled, crawling up alongside the feline and peering over a dune at the controversial area in front of her. "I figured," Yoruichi began in her disturbingly masculine voice. "Grimmjow's tent has a barrier around it, the kind used by field operatives in the second division when they want to sleep in enemy territory undisturbed. It's a metal cylinder that when activated, makes every noise and reiatsu signature inside its radius undetectable to those outside. They're hard to break; I noticed when I walked right into an invisible wall over there so keep your distance." She finished knowingly, licking a paw. "So he and Soifon-Taicho…" Barely suppressed laughter interrupted whatever question Matsumoto would've asked. "Hopefully," the cat sighed. "I was afraid I ruined it when she found out that me and him had a fling in the not-so-distant past. I'm glad to see that she's finally grown up."

"But who should we tell about this?"

A white cheshire grin broke through the night. "It will be in our reports when we attend the next S.W.A meeting."

**

* * *

**

Announcement! This interlude is referencing my companion one-shot to this story: "How I got my Tattoo". It provides a bit of back story to the relations between Grimmjow, Starrk, Harribel, and Nel. Check it out on my profile.

**Author's Note: Hmm, I'm glad I already had this bit of fluff halfway written when I got some complaints about last chapter being so emotionless. Seemed to me that the whole thing was a hit or miss with you all. I got positive reviews and negative ones.**

**Anyway, read or review or whatever. **

**Reader Response!**

**Silentshadow55: Yup, major turnoff *thumbs down* Glad you liked his arm blowing up. :D**

**Hellbutterfly: yup, next chapter will be something along those lines. Will have drama sprinkled around it, apparently this story needs a lot of drama…**

**Smiley Person: Oh well, I tried. Hope you liked this bit better then. **

**Lovemydogs: thank you for also having a mind capable of enjoying all the ridiculous things I do with this story.**

**Delectable: Yup, big fight next chapter. And it isn't going to be a one-sided beatdown…trust me on that. I already have some good ideas for how to get it started (was challenging since Byakuya is a hard person to get to fight) and how to end it with no real repercussions to anything else I have planned…like the melon part.**

**Glad you liked the fight, I had fun writing it with all the licking and the beatyouovertheface things. **

**In regards to the sex, ku ku ku I thought you'd have more faith in me. I don't write things on a whim. Both characters have two sides to themselves and you can expect a theme of duality to exist within their relationship. It makes it fun to write. **

**Yes, yes the ball is rolling but I have it set on a track. ;)**


	11. Author's Note: Back on Track

Hey all you guys and ladies at FFNET This story is now officially back on track after I finish revising and editing it.

Sorry for the wait but my internet setup took a turn for the worse in addition to many other things that if I listed them all…you probably couldn't believe that they could all happen to one person…but I'm back. :D

Got some good dialogue rolling out next chapter (halfway done) so stay tuned and thanks for all the support.

EDIT!

Edits and revisions are now complete so now I'll finish up the next chapter!


	12. Masquerade: Battle of the Sixes

In all her years, Soifon had never once experienced a mixture of sensations quite like the ones she was feeling when she woke up pressed against Grimmjow's chest with her head nuzzled into his neck. These things were both pleasing to her, she liked the way she bobbed back and forth as his lungs inflated but then there was the pain that came from putting pressure on her lacerated torso. She liked the way she felt protected by his arm around her back but then there was the pain that came from it rubbing across her clawed and torn skin. She liked inhaling his scent and watching his lips part with shallow breaths but then there was the excruciating agony that came from his shoulder resting on the spot where he had sank his canines into her neck and that was what caused her to adjust her position.

Propping up a few stray pillows, she slipped deftly out of the tight embrace and sat up, rearranging her subordinate so that his head was leaning on her side. Soifon gazed down at him studiously, a small smile directed towards the sight of him acting so docile and quiet. "I wonder if you have any idea how much I needed last night," she mused, taking a second to reflect on the activities they engaged in the previous evening in addition to a good portion of the early morning. The only bad thing was that her body felt and looked like it had undergone every form of abuse imaginable while Grimmjow didn't have any evidence of her retaliatory efforts save a fading bruise on his jaw courtesy of a particularly strong hook. His limited healing powers were obnoxiously handy.

And then it hit her: she needed to shower and repair herself before someone caught her sneaking out of her Vice-Captain's tent. It was early though, there was about half an hour left until sunrise and at least two hours until most of the beachgoers left their tents. However, she currently had an open opportunity to try something she had wanted to do since the day she had met Grimmjow and who knew how long she would have to wait for another chance. Tentatively, Soifon extended her arm and softly stroked the mane of blue hair that had found its way to her stomach. In a rare slip of femininity, she giggled when her actions were rewarded with a throaty rumble that unmistakably proved his history as a feline.

This continued for several minutes and she enjoyed the intimacy of the moment prior to the revelation that she had once done the exact same thing to Yoruichi. After that, her hand immediately ceased its caresses and rested on Grimmjow's forehead.

Soifon heaved a sigh. Her old mentor's shadow now extended over both sides of their relationship even if the Arrancar couldn't see it as clearly as she could. Yoruichi wasn't at fault on his end; she had met him first fair and square. The Captain was certain that their time together was purely physical but that didn't stop her blood from boiling at the thought of the woman she had strived so hard to surpass lying in bed next to the object of her affection. Now she was torn, Soifon wanted desperately to claim Grimmjow as hers in a surprisingly primal surge of covetousness and at the same time, she wanted their bond to remain hidden. Only the S.W.A. members knew of their first kiss and she wanted it to remain that way. He was Hollow at the core and she was a shinigami.

Seireitei's tolerance for his kind was fragile at best and the only reason it reached that far was due to Yamamoto and the senior Captain's influence. Any knowledge of the events that had happened so far during the vacation between the second division officers would no doubt be considered highly scandalous in the eye of the public.

"Woman, did you hear me say that you could stop?"

Prejudice and secrecy could wait a while longer, for now Soifon smirked and resumed petting her second in command. "I swear I'll kill you if you tell anyone that I let you do this," he grumbled, closing his eyes in contentment. "And then I'll tell the division that you laugh like a girl." Somehow, even with Grimmjow's seemingly utter lack of tact in his speech, he always knew what to say to make her feel better. He was far from being anywhere near what Yoruichi was and he made it plain as day. Still, to keep up appearances, the petite woman had to smack him one to show him that he couldn't get away with damaging her pride.

"How long have you been awake," she demanded softly, barely restraining another girlish snicker at the way the former _Sexta_ half-consciously willed himself to sit upright, jerking his head away from her hand. "I wouldn't be alive right now if I wasn't a light enough sleeper to wake up as soon as you moved," he answered matter-of-factly, twirling a long lock of her hair around his finger. "So I hear that you _needed_ me, huh? Well hey, Shaolin, I'd be happy to add nights together to my list of duties under your command."

"Shut up," Soifon retorted out of sheer embarrassment, hiding her blush by turning to scavenge for whatever clothes were still in one piece. Luckily, the single thing that had been shredded was her shirt, leaving her swimsuit and jeans intact. "I'm going to the showers and my body's too sore to continue where we left off so don't get any ideas," she admonished, the ice in her tone rivaling the warm summer air. Knowing what a late sleeper Grimmjow was, she probably shouldn't have even bothered and gone off to rid her skin of the multiple layers of various bodily fluids sooner rather than later. "Hold on, I'll go with you," came a gruff plea.

Well that just shot all her logic to hell. "What?" Grimmjow barked, succeeding in wiping the incredulous expression off of Soifon's features. "Nothing," she dismissed, pulling up her pants much to her sexual partner's chagrin. She rotated to put her back to him and smiled knowing that she had won some small victory as her top was tied securely around her bust. The smile transformed into a sultry grin when a pair of muscular arms slid around her waist, pulling her into a loose embrace. "I didn't get my 'good morning', Shinigami." A hungry voice purred at the edge of her ear.

Three fingers trailed up her abdomen, skimming delicately over her breasts and collarbone before settling firmly on her chin where they tilted it up and to the side, allowing easy access for her lips to crash together with another set. Soifon responded to the kiss eagerly, grabbing fistfuls of azure hair and pulling Grimmjow down. The interaction was short, conveying what it needed to and kicking off both participants' days a much better way than what they were used to.

"Good morning," Soifon breathed, falling victim to light-headedness that had nothing to do with blood loss. The next thing she knew, she was teetering back and unable to escape the inevitable collapse onto the soiled futon. When she recovered from the fall, she was still in Grimmjow's arms and the owner of said appendages was looking a little worse for wear. "Ugh…stood up too fast," he relayed in a daze. It was bad enough that he got up early, now he was being laughed at by the woman plastered to his chest. So he did what he did best and devised a scheme to get revenge at those who dare poke fun at him.

He gripped the sides of her abdomen and flipped her on top of him, guiding her to straddle his ribs while he gently took her hands in his and met her eyes completely deadpan. "Let's get married, Shaolin." Soifon's chuckles hitched in her throat almost to the point of choking. She stared down at the Arrancar, mind blank for a motionless amount of time before her face became vibrant and she rolled off the chiseled body acting as her seat in a hysterical fit.

Grimmjow soon joined in, satisfied that he could make such a lively specimen out of Soul Society's most infamous ice queen. "Something wrong with Fon-Jeagerjaques Shaolin?" He sniggered, pulling the would-be fiancée over to him possessively. "That's the most ridiculous name I've ever heard," his Captain mumbled, regrettably snuggling against him and molding her form to his. Truth was, there were several good reasons why she should be getting up and out but her two physical halves were battling for the right to choose. Everything above her beltline was putty in her second-in-command's hands, fine with lazing about all day in bed. Her legs were a different story, they were twitching and edgy as if they would detach themselves and run away on their own if she didn't move soon. "I need to shower," she groused.

Her reply was a sharp inhale of breath that had her furrowing her brow and realizing that Grimmjow had fallen asleep again. Soifon weaved out of his grasp and stifled a giggle at the disapproving growl she received.

_Waking up as soon as I move, huh? What a liar, you're running detection drills with the new recruits when we get back._

Exiting the tent and active barrier as quietly as she could, Soifon stepped out onto the moon-cooled sand and clenched her toes, marring the earth with ten dainty impressions. Her thin smile reduced itself to a scowl as her lover's lingering body heat was swept away in the oceanic breeze while black eyes panned over the beach, riding the rounded tops of breaking waves, and coming to a slow at an object that had no business being where it was in the early morning.

Lilynette was resting, propped up on a steep dune and casting her gaze out to sea, her pupils a lure for the approaching sun.

This was unexpected; the ex-_Fraccion's_ presence was masked well enough to make even the Commander of the Onmitsukido strain to pick it up. If she was up then who else was?

Unnerved, Soifon warily broke away from the coast and embarked on her trek to the row of wooden shower stalls that adorned the far wall of the Surf Shack. Her few and scattered personal relations save the one with her mentor had all been secret. She was a woman who liked her privacy especially if she was engaging in activities that would be heavily frowned upon by Soul Society and this particular situation left her with an unshakeable premonition that her skills as a stealth operative were going to be put to the test. The Shinigami Women's Association was absolutely ruthless when it came to pursuing the more sensual affairs of its members.

"Gross."

When the mind is startled, the factor of shock is determined by the suddenness and length of exposure to the stimulus. Therefore one word as opposed to a whole sentence will always frighten the unsuspected indefinitely more. Point proven when Soifon leapt up with a shout, doing a one-eighty in the air and landing in a combat stance, one of her fists hitting something…strange. "Acting Taicho Nelliel," she huffed, dislodging her hand from between the lime-green bikini top and crossing her arms stoically. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I smelled blood," Nel construed to her fellow division leader, humorous disgust evident on her face. "But now that I see all those marks on you and my nose is close enough to pick up his scent all over you. I know what's gotten you so dreamy that I can walk up right behind you," she giggled, her mature and composed exterior reverting to a younger persona. "I'm glad that I'm not the only masochist here." After sharing that gem of information, the seafoam-haired officer half walked half-skipped down to the water, leaving a horrified Soifon in her destructive wake.

"Don't you dare tell anyone!"

"Tell anyone what?"

For the second time in less than a minute, a shriek of surprise resounded throughout the edge of the woods close to the Surf Shack. "Keep it down will you, Lady Taicho. You'll wake everyone up," Starrk chastised dryly, unplugging his fingers from his ears. Now _this_ was a sight for the ages: the _Primera_, fatigued but otherwise up at six. "What the hell are all you people doing up at this hour?" Soifon asked, rubbing her forehead in surrender. "The four of us always get up and watch the sunset. Nothing special to you Shinigami but living in night for all your life can make it worthwhile" He removed his straw hat and scratched his head, his yellow floral-patterned kimono draped over his shoulders. "…I thought you'd notice _him_ sneaking out of your quarters every day. Huh, you must not get up like this normally."

Starrk shrugged and motioned to follow after Nel, stopping and turning to give the petite woman an impassive expression. "You know, that really does smell awful. Hollows have better senses than your kind so do us a favor and scrub yourself clean, pass that along to the panther for me." Tipping his hat down, he padded lethargically down to where Lilynette and Nel were seated. "And don't worry about it; it's not exactly a subject I want to be reminded of so I'm not going to talk to anyone about it. I'll try to keep Nelliel off of it too…no promises there though," he called, hand raised up in a bored wave.

Soifon was not amused. Her first good mood in what seemed like a century was tattered and burned. The only thing keeping her from regressing into silent rage was Starrk's understanding of her modesty, imparting her with an attitude that an ice cold shower wouldn't fix. However, that didn't mean that she wasn't pissed off at Nel's cheeky remarks.

Not wanting to be confronted by anyone else who decided to pounce on her, she took longs strides to the showers and entered the furthest one from the campsite. She shut the door and moved the small iron bolt into the adjacent metal fitting to secure the enclosed space before wriggling free of her jeans and bikini bottoms in a display of inelegant jerks and slapping them over the wall. Her top came next and she steeled herself, looking dead into the weathered appliance. She then turned the knob marked 'cold' as far as it could go. The showerhead dripped pathetically for a moment and coughed to life, spitting steady streams of water that probably would have frozen had it not been in motion.

Unable to take the full assault, she lowered her head and soaked her hair, watching as dry flakes of blood and other things she'd be okay with not naming molted off of her and swirled down the drain. Accustomed to the frigidness, her nerves settled and her wounds throbbed dully. Echoes of the previous night still danced around in her head, manifesting themselves as a pleased smirk and jolting her lust to a rolling electricity in her stomach. Maybe she made the wrong choice in leaving the tent so early.

Normally, she would flush but no such thing happened and she got the feeling that the cold water had nothing to do with the subjugation of her embarrassment at her increasingly dirty mental images. No, beyond the yearning for secrecy, Soifon truly felt shameless about her desires and it was liberating to achieve that kind of freedom. She smiled and whipped her hair back lathering it up with someone else's shampoo and then took Starrk's advice and scrubbed her body with a clean cloth, dyeing it a sick pink.

Fortunately, her guard was up after two successful ambushes and the Captain picked up on a familiar untamed reiatsu coming closer. Paying no mind, she made room and Grimmjow leapt over the wall with feline grace, landing right behind her.

"Thought I told you to wait up, damn it." He complained half-heartedly, removing the showerhead from its holster and spraying himself down unflinchingly despite the cold. "I also thought you told me that I you would wake up if I so much as moved," Soifon fired back, claiming instant victory. "Shut up, I got even less sleep than you did last night. Didn't help that you were screamin' your head off to get me up either, the hell did Nelliel and that wolf do to you?"

"Nothing…and since when do you get up at sunrise?"

"Ain't important."

"And did you run over here without any clothes?"

"So what?"

Picturing Grimmjow walking nonchalantly across the beach completely naked and coated in blood, Soifon couldn't contain her laughter. "Idiot," she rasped in between bouts. "I said shut up, Shinigami."

Grimmjow rendered her speechless by shoving her to the wall and sweeping up her lips in a rough kiss. Soifon groaned into his mouth as pain lanced up the scratches on her back, brushing it aside and sinking into the unavoidable.

In a combative relationship, any opening must be exploited to further oneself to victory and so when her teeth parted from the collision, he seized her with his tongue and suppressed every attempt at resistance. Minutes passed and the bruising domination continued, every notion of a peaceful shower being forsaken just as the head was lying on the floor. "Time for me to give _you_ a rule, Shaolin." Grimmjow hissed, breaking the kiss with a compressed 'pop'. "Don't make any bullshit excuses like 'I'm still hurting from the last time'. I'm not the kind to wait and I can see in your eyes that you won't be complaining either." His carnal visage crumbled and his mischievous side made a comeback. He leaned past her shoulder and nipped her earlobe all while whispering huskily, "But since you're not putting up that much of a fight, I think I'll go easy on ya. So just sit back and keep quiet, I'm sure you'll need you're training for this."

"Wait Grimm-" Soifon's plea was lost in a whimper as powerful lips planted fleeting kisses down her neck, trailing over her collarbone and lingering at her breasts where a moist warmth battled the stiff, chilled skin of her hardened nipple. His tongue rolled circles around it gently, massaging it with care as his arm wrapped around her waist and his free hand made sure the other half of her chest wasn't neglected. Grimmjow grinned and proceeded ever downwards, making a side trip to his superior's naval and crouching fully to where he let his hot breath intermingle with the heat of her sex.

"I thought…I told you not to get…any ideas," the Assassin croaked, not yet out of the pleasurable fog that the attention to her body was producing. "Good thing I usually act without thinking then, huh?"

* * *

Excluding some extra time in the shower and a casting of much needed healing kido, the day wore on in typical beach fashion. It was now after lunch and nearly everyone had gotten involved in a chicken fight competition proposed by Rangiku. And much to her ire, Soifon paid witness to Grimmjow running around the surf tackling people with a laughing Yoruichi riding on his shoulders. In all fairness, he _had_ asked her to participate first and she had declined upon learning the rules, quickly deeming the game to be below her. But right now, she regretted it as she watched his team dominate the opposition since he was able to use _sonido_ even with his legs underwater. His winning streak soon came to a grinding halt when the final match began, putting him up against Starrk and Nel.

Despite their best efforts, heads of blue and purple hair met their end in the process of dodging a _bala_ where the former's feet were swept up in a wave, sending them toppling into the ocean.

"Damn it," Grimmjow cursed lowly, sidling up to Soifon and adjusting the umbrella next to her so that it provided enough shade for them both to sit leisurely near each other. "Wish you played, our center of gravity would've been lower." He chuckled at his Captain's ensuing glare. "Is that a short joke?" She interrogatedd dangerously, balling her hands into fists. "All I'm sayin' is that we make a good team, Shaolin and I happen to like your height actually, makes for easy maneuvering." Soifon's annoyance was promptly snuffed, being traded for a pink tinge on her cheeks. "I'm just glad I didn't go down by that Kuchiki girl. She kept using Hadou number one and threw everybody around, that should'a been against the rules."

Grimmjow flopped back and stretched his arms lazily under his head, casting his eyes over to Soifon in curiosity when she failed to comment. "…Speaking of that girl," she started uncomfortably, "I noticed that she's been looking at you strangely since our fight yesterday." Her subordinate sat up at that, gazing wearily towards the topical thirteenth division member. "Fuck, guess I'll go see what's wrong now," he groaned, ignoring his superior's protests and proceeding to the heart of the matter.

Rukia was currently sitting on a beach chair reading one of the horror manga she had brought along to enjoy under the sun. Normally, she would pride herself in the ability to sense reiatsu signatures at least a few levels above someone like Kurosaki Ichigo so she was bewildered to say the least when a loud 'yo' sounded off to her left. Indeed, engrossment in scary stories and Grimmjow's lack of subtlety proved to be a very potent combination, evident by the scream and flailing arms. "The hell is your problem, lady?" He snarled, wiping the comic off his face and handing it grudgingly back to Rukia. "That's my line," she countered, already knowing who was confronting her. "You can't just sneak up on people like that. What do you want anyway?"

She frowned when the Arrancar sat in front of her chair, openly declaring that he had something to get straight. "Somethin' about me bothering you lately?" The woman nodded, dog-earing her volume and giving her full attention. "I'll say it one last time," Grimmjow sighed, running his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry about-"

"Don't bother," Rukia interrupted, narrowed eyes firmly in place. "Nothing's changed since the last time you tried to apologize for injuring me. If anything, I'm even further away from forgiving you after seeing the fight with your Commander." She began, silencing the fuming Vice-Captain with an outstretched index finger. "You're the only war veteran on your side that hasn't changed. Look, I'm a forgiving person. I forgave my brother when he hurt Ichigo even though he hasn't said a word about it, do you know why?" The question wasn't meant to be acknowledged. "Because he regretted it! You don't regret what you did. You're sorry that its caused you inconvenience but you don't regret it. I don't think you're even capable of feeling that. When I saw you fight yesterday, that was what I interpreted. You swung your sword to kill and I know that you're aware that killing a Taicho is high treason punishable by death but you didn't care."

That was true, Grimmjow had made it well-known that he was going to kill Soifon if she proved to be weaker than his expectations and the knowledge of their verbal contract they had made on the night of their first kiss didn't justify his behavior in Rukia's eyes. "I would at least tolerate you if you admitted to the way you are but you try time and time again to lie to my face, its insulting! Who are you trying to fool, me or you?!" She yelled, slamming her fist on her palm for emphasis. "I don't know what it is with you but you're different than the other Arrancar and I can't wrap my head around how you achieved the same rank as me. It's absolutely nauseating to think that a heartless monster like you is a Fukutaicho." Rukia concluded, exhaling sharply.

A light wind joined the silence subsequent the outburst while Grimmjow mulled over what he had just heard. His teal orbs lost their fire, replaced by an ancient and thoughtful sheen. "Heartless monster," he repeated to himself, taking note of the approaching shadow creeping along the sand. Was that what he was deep down? Was that what he had been trying to suppress to keep himself from being executed when Aizen lost the war, burying it under his humor and womanizing? The answers couldn't come soon enough to stop the advancing presence. "Nii-sama" Rukia whispered, causing the half Hollow to rise to his feet and twist his lips to reveal an unnaturally long canine.

"Has this man offended you, Rukia?" Byakuya inquired dispassionately, paying no mind to anyone but his adopted sister and managing to appear rather regal in his black swim trunks and button-up shirt. "This is between me and her," Grimmjow seethed, effectively making the noble meet his gaze. "It is my responsibility to mediate negative interactions that any member of my family has engaged in. Not that I would expect you to have any intimacy with the dealings of Shinigami social hierarchy," he explained coolly. This was quickly becoming a matter that the bunny-obsessed woman had no say in. Not that she really wanted to be involved at this point. No, she was perfectly fine with backing away from what might become a _cero's_ ground zero. "So how do you want to 'mediate' this? A fight?" The Arrancar growled, scowling at the raised eyebrow he received as a first response. "I have yet to find a reason why I should dull my sword on you, filth."

_Filth._

**Trash.**

In a buzz, Grimmjow had his recovered Zanpakuto at Byakuya's throat and for the first time, he saw him stricken with surprise. "Care to repeat that?" He shouted, alerting the entire beach to what was going on. "Call me trash one more time, bastard!"

Byakuya was very much confused but that was the least of his problems. Obviously he had tripped something inside the Vice-Captain's head. He had made sure to enunciate his sentence well enough to prevent the misinterpretation of two words that didn't even rhyme. "I refuse to entertain whatever delusion you're suffering from. I'm warning you to refrain from upsetting my sister or I will be forced to keep you away from her with force if necessary." Grimmjow wouldn't have it, he was furious and he didn't move his blade one inch away from the nobleman's neck. "I'll make you fight if I have to unless you really want to die defenseless," he said in a guttural voice that showed no evidence of a lie.

"Jeagerjaques-Fukutaicho, I order you to stand down immediately!" Soifon screamed, almost striking the crowd to get them to move out of her way. She may as well have been commanding a man with no senses. Once she saw him up close, she could tell that something was seriously wrong with him. His face wasn't like the other times he had exhibited anger, it appeared worn and cold instead of hyper and ablaze.

"Ridiculous," Byakuya murmured, shaken by Grimmjow's resolve to carry through on his threat. "You speak like you've never known loss. Was Rukia correct? Do you truly have no regard about being condemned for high treason?" He coerced, wondering just what he had trifled with. "Never known loss? On what grounds do you say that? What great loss have you gone through to get that right, you arrogant fuck?!" The blue-haired hybrid shot back. Usually, the Sixth Division Captain wouldn't indulge or have to answer that question but the look in the two icy blue eyes burning through him compelled him to break the norm. "I lost the only woman I have ever loved."

"So fucking what?"

Those that had crowded around the scene gasped, even Soifon took a step back. Was her Second-in-Command out of his _mind_? All she had to do was glance at Byakuya's face to get her answer; it mirrored Grimmjow's exactly. These were the expressions of men who had a painful part of their past stepped on and the culprit had shown no remorse. A gust of shunpo broke the tension, followed by the ringing of steel and a shower of sparks. The head of the Kuchiki family had found his reason to fight and he wasn't going to fight casually.

_Pantera_ met Senbonzakura for the first time in a deadlock, both of their masters battling in a contest of strength. Neither budged at first but gradually, Grimmjow's larger build gave him the upper hand and he pushed Byakuya back, sending him sliding along the sand. His footing couldn't come soon enough, forcing him to drive his sword into the ground to skid and regain his balance. When he raised his weapon in preparation to defend, he noticed the absence of his opponent amongst the faces in the distance.

"Let's take this somewhere else. I don't want someone else to get hurt just because you pissed me off."

Byakuya's eyes widened and he turned his head slowly to spot Grimmjow standing idly behind him.

_What is this speed? He shouldn't be able to move that fast at twenty percent power.._

On top of that, he was dealt another shock. The other combatant was actually concerned about collateral damage? He had never thought him capable of fathoming such a thing. Something told him that he had been grievously mistaken to believe that Grimmjow was nothing more than a berserk monster who acted on impulse. Below the surface, he was incredibly complex and Byakuya could only guess what had driven him to insult Hisana's worth to him. His stance faltered and his mind was running countless calculations, trying to discern a valid reason why his willingness to fight came second to welfare of the surrounding parties unlike the many of his supposed type that had come before him, namely Zaraki Kenpachi.

"I don't have all day, damn it."

The Noble scowled. "Very well, the sea should suffice," he announced sternly, punctuating his sentence with a flash step in the direction of the ocean.

Grimmjow nodded and shouldered his weapon. Breathing slowly, he took a long blink and swiveled an eye over to the onlookers along the coast, lingering on Soifon. "This isn't something I'd expect most of you to understand," the Arrancar stated, sneering when he realized that there were quite a number of people who weren't going to let him go quietly.

"I absolutely will not condone senseless violence on what should be an enjoyable occasion, Jeagerjaques-Fukutaicho," Unohana warned in a steely tone that matched her hard-set eyes as she approached the object of her disapproval. "Sorry to hear that but no one gets off after what he did."

"And what did he do?" Soifon interjected, stalking over to the developing scene alongside an agitated Starrk. "I don't know exactly what happened that caused the both of you to engage within a matter of seconds except that you and your mouth have gone way out of line. Do you understand that you will be executed if you so much as scratch him?" She hissed, restraining herself from punching her subordinate. "Don't care, he's been annoying me for a while and I finally have an excuse and a damn good reason to fight him," Grimmjow shot back. "You have _no_ reason to do anything to him!"

"Yes he does," Starrk interrupted, garnering the attention of two sets of gunmetal and sapphire pools. "If he called him 'trash' then he insulted him in the worst way possible." He gave Grimmjow an acknowledging gesture with his hand. "Go, I'll take care of things here…what a pain in the ass."

Without another word, the Vice-Captain vanished into static.

The former _Primera _brought his eyes lazily back to the two women in front of him, smacking his forehead when he saw that everyone on the beach was there to demand some answers. "Well…it's a long story involving this one dead guy plus you have to look at it from a Hollow's point of view. I'm sure you'd all rather do something else," he yawned, scratching his chin and attempting to part the crowd.

Soifon and Unohana weren't going to have any of it.

"Explain."

* * *

In the clear skies above the ocean, _Pantera _rested on his partner's shoulder, cutting through the salty breeze. Its edge was noticeably smoother than it had been the day before. Where once there were chips and cracks from repeated use, now there was flawless and polished steel.

"Before we continue…I wish to know how you have acquired such speed. Six months ago, I fought the fastest _Espada_ but you exhibit speed that if I were to multiply it five times it would be greater than his. How is this?"

Grimmjow bared his canines, glowering at Byakuya through narrow slits. "Keh, you must've fought Zommari. He was a liar; Starrk was faster than him but he never got off his lazy ass to prove it. As for me: well I wasn't too bad myself at the time." He gloated.

"I doubt that you've progressed so much naturally," the Captain countered smoothly, hitting the nail on the head judging by the reaction he was rewarded with.

"When the war ended, I spent more days than I really wanted to down in the basement of a candy store. Urahara, the damn idiot that he is, got all bitchy about how it was his fault we were hybrids even though Nelliel took off her mask on her own. He was talking about how the Hougyoku was meant for breaking past limits once you reached them. Guess what? I was the only one who hadn't reached my limits yet thanks to that bastard Tousen so he repaid me for the 'misuse of his creation' by throwing all these toys at me that would help me train. Those along with some help from Cat Lady and you could have a child running circles around most Third Seats."

"Now I hope you're ready," Grimmjow snarled, "because I'm through talking."

Byakuya drew his sword and exhaled slowly, flaring his reiatsu to match the azure flame whipping wildly around his opponent.

_Neither of us knows the other's motive…_

The battle resumed with a vengeance as Grimmjow hammered his sword against Senbonzakura, showering its master's face with sparks. Both combatants brought their bodies close to their blades to take the strain of the deadlock into their shoulders as their eyes were locked in a match of their own, scanning for any initial signs of weakness.

When none could be found, Byakuya was the first to break the hold by crouching and using Grimmjow's arced force to push him behind the Arrancar where he had a clean shot at his back. However, the strike used to propel him to the opening followed through and knocked his stab to the side where it thrusted harmlessly into the air. "Gotta do better than that," a jeering voice mocked from beside him where he turned to meet a Zanpakuto rocketing towards his head.

No sound of metal meeting metal from a successful block resounded over the water, all the Vice-Captain heard was the crash of surf against the reef below him. He frowned heavily at the sight of the noble's head impaled through the eye with an expression of mild surprise etched into his lifeless features. Blood flowed steadily from the wound but there was no sense of weight, like he had penetrated nothing but a piece of cloth. "Cat Lady sure likes whoring out her training, doesn't she?" He remarked blandly, cutting the head off of the apparition and turning his back to it while the illusion dematerialized.

"It would seem so," Byakuya agreed, aiming a horizontal cut at the lower-ranking officer's neck only to have him duck under it and attempt to land a hard elbow in his unprotected stomach. Sidestepping deftly, the head of the Kuchiki family managed to avoid the attack just in time to put a layer of steel in between himself and a rising slash to his sternum. Once again, he was caught in a standstill with Grimmjow putting his knees into an effort to reach his face which was dangerously close to coming about. "What's with those eyes?" He queried, roving over the opposition with a calculated stare that was returned in kind with mirror-like similarity. "Its like you don't even want to kill me." There was no sadistic grin in its usual place. "What the hell did you come here for then?!"

_Does he really have no idea?_

"To seek out battle for the sole purpose of murder is something that even the most primitive of species does not engage in. I came to defend my family after you so carelessly stepped on my pride." Grimmjow scoffed with mocking volume, grating his sword, angling it closer to try for blood. "Don't bullshit me!" Byakuya answered only with a thinly veiled look of mixed superiority and pity in the same fashion as how a lion might look upon a dead ant under its paw. "Fighting for the memory of some dead woman? What kind of reason is that? You came here to fight for personal honor and to see the light leave my eyes just like I did!" Blue energy erupted into the sky, creating dappled holes through the spectating clouds.

"Scatter Senbonzakura."

A thousand blades brought an end to the argument, moving at lightning speed to engulf the Arrancar.

Grimmjow swore and didn't dare attempt to break through and finish his onslaught. Instead, he used _sonido_ to gain a great deal of space between himself and the other combatant. Now on the defensive, he readied himself and observed the mass of petals, getting a feel for their speed and the way they moved. Despite their size and color, they weren't something to be taken lightly. He didn't have to look down to know that he had taken quite a number of scratches along his arms, several of which having made short work of his weakened _hierro_.

"What an embarrassing thing to get cut by…"

_**Tell me about it.**_

Ignoring his Zanpakuto, Grimmjow moved around the battlefield in a series of distorted flashes, trying to outmaneuver Senbonzakura. Progress wasn't going to come easy though. Wherever he appeared, he was met with either a pink cloud or a kido spell courtesy of the sixth division Captain. If he was going to win then he needed to find the flaw in Byakuya's strategy besides the obvious: he was wide open at close range. Taking that out of the equation, he was left with the fact that his enemy was extremely analytical and seemed to predict his movements even with his impressive speed. But if he were to randomize things a little…well when in doubt…

Yet another dull thump of _sonido_ preceded the gusty whirling sound of the blossoms as the former _Sexta_ evaded to the side. But this time he decelerated immediately and saw that they had raced ahead and overshot him by a distance. With a grin firmly in place, he moved at varying speed and altitudes, tricking the blades into going too short or too far from his position.

Byakuya was not amused; once again he had to give the ex-_Espada_ credit for figuring out the large hole in his weapon's ability. His mouth was pulled taught into a thin line as he conducted his Shikai, trying to predict where the head of spiky blue hair would show up next.

Meanwhile, Grimmjow was starting to enjoy himself while he made a fool of his opponent. Laughing maniacally, he finally entered striking range and appeared below for only a split second before throttling above and landing a solid right on the noble's jaw. It had taken a few minutes but he had the hang of it and now he had the psychological advantage seeing as how the recipient of the punch was glaring at him with barely restrained fury. "Hey, don't stop now. This is just star-" The thousand blades split apart and attacked the Vice-Captain from a multitude of odd angles to counter his recently-developed methods. Deflecting a few with _Pantera_, he created an opening and rushed at Byakuya with the petals trailing behind him. He rolled into a diagonal slice and shouted obscenities when he cleaved a weightless phantom in two.

Spinning from the failed kill, he brought his sword up to counter the reformed metal that nearly passed through his chest and hazarded a light kick that met stomach and forced the regal officer's lungs to abandon their breath as he hooked his arm around the appendage and outstretched his hand. "Hadou number thirty-three: Soukatsui."

With his leg entrapped, Grimmjow could do nothing but raise his weapon in front of his face and grit his teeth when cyan light slammed into him and sent him sailing down in a straight path to the glinting seawater.

_**Good one.**_

"Shut up and Grind-"

The release command was punctuated by an immense splash that sent a geyser of water cascading well over the brightly colored coral protruding up from the tumultuous ocean. Soon after, a second, more massive aqueous explosion rocked the shattered tranquility of the seascape and then everything went eerily quiet. Byakuya was no fool; he could recall with crystal clarity that it took his Bankai to kill Aizen's _Septima_ and that there was no way that one close-range kido could've done in the much more powerful _Sexta_. On guard, he re-released his Shikai and narrowed his eyes to the remnants of the colossal impact below. There was no mistake that the second-in-command of the second division was alive and well; his boosted reiatsu coupled with a sliver of killing intent could have been felt by even the most untrained Shinigami.

Within a matter of seconds, his patience paid off when he spotted a series of bubbles pop along the surface. Byakuya tightened his lips and swung his hilt, commanding Senbonzakura to dive into the water. However, what first appeared as only a few bubbles soon became a steady stream which then evolved into a roiling boil which was complimented by a dull blue glow that seemed as if the Soukatsui had been rebounded. But on closer inspection, it was something much stronger.

A thousand cherry blossoms shot back into view and melded into a katana, allowing its master to shunpo out of the way of the _Gran Rey Cero_ that carved its way through the atmosphere leaving the scent of burnt ozone in its wake. Using it as cover, a white twister spun wildly out from Byakuya's blind side. Grimmjow, using the momentum he had accumulated over his many rotations, slammed his foot against the sword that had been raised in a ditch effort to counter his assault, knocking it down and giving him the opportunity to crack the noble's already weakened jaw with a well-placed slug.

"Not bad but you're going to need to step things up if you want to keep up with me now," the released Arrancar taunted, rows of ivory razors reflecting the abundant sunlight as he spoke. His enemy merely wiped the crimson streak trailing from the corner of his mouth and shifted into a defensive stance.

A gust of shunpo and a buzz of _sonido_ signaled the third round. Grimmjow took the initiative and unleashed a flurry of high-speed kicks and clawed attacks aimed at the Sixth Division's Captain, connecting every so often with a lucky graze while Byakuya was beginning to show his real speed by going blow for blow with masterful agility and precision. He was at an extreme disadvantage since he was up against a particularly resilient _hierro_ while he only had a swimsuit and cotton shirt for armor…which didn't really do much against a creature that could demolish steel structures with his fists.

Minutes of subsonic aerial combat passed and it became painfully clear that Grimmjow's _Resurreccion_ gave him the upper hand. Desperation from having his zanpakuto repeatedly either caught by a black paw or snagged in the spaces between one of four off-white blades and suffering from the resulting counterattacks caused the clan leader's offense to become noticeably more predictable. He wasn't going to win with just a Shikai; he knew that from the beginning but he had wanted to crush Grimmjow's arrogance by showing him the difference between their powers. Besides a few shallow wounds after the healing that came with an Arrancar's release, he hadn't succeeded. Winning and punishing the man that dared to infringe on his family's pride were his only goals now and it seemed that he would have to take things further to reach them.

A diversionary Souren Soukatsui gave him the time he needed.

Wasting none of the opening, Byakuya flipped his hilt around his finger into a reverse grip and dropped it into the churning sea.

"Bankai."

Rows of towering katana broke through the water and extended past the two fighters before scattering into a near infinite number of pink petals.

"Goukei Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

Grimmjow hissed in surprise as he suddenly found himself consumed by a sphere of countless blossoms, cursing as he looked in vain for a means of escape. Finding none, he flexed his claws in agitation and waited for something to come to mind.

"Can you hear me Jeagerjaques-Fukutaicho?" A detached voice whispered under the roar of the one hundred million blades. "Be at ease and don't let your final moments be ones pridelessness. Your death will be instantaneous." There was pregnant pause and Byakuya's tone became pondering. "I don't understand why you took up residence within the walls of Seireitei. Surely you knew that the disastrous mix of your species and personality would eventually lead to conflict. Until today I have exhibited tolerance for your kind and I will continue to do so for the others but as for you…you never should have taken one step into our world."

"Farewell, my only regret is that I will never understand what possessed you to attack me."

Grimmjow's eyes widened and then contracted into a weathered gaze upon hearing the noble's goodbye.

Outside the Bankai, Byakuya sighed and gave the subconscious command for it to implode. Turning his back to the sight, he rubbed his thumb over Senbonzakura's hilt thoughtfully as the pink vortex shuddered and motioned to collapse. There were many things he was prepared for. He was ready to pull the body back to shore since he was sure that someone would've let him have it had he not. He was ready to do the gargantuan amount of paperwork that dealt with murdering an officer, sworn in or not it was still a workload that lasted half a day. He was ready to hear a final cry of extreme agony before all of the others though but instead of getting that, he heard a Hollow scream and felt waves of sound pressure hurl fragments of his own weapon directly at his exposed back.

"Shouldn't have talked, you let me know where you were."

Yellow irises swam inside of azure sclera as Grimmjow stood in front of the Goukei when it collapsed, scattering the Bankai upon the technique's completion.

"How obstinate," Byakuya remarked icily, livid that his own attack has been literally thrown right back at him, leaving him with an abundance of thin injuries. "What can I say?" The hybrid mused, flicking his tail idly about. "I've come out of a lot worse than that so you'll still have to better or I'll just keep dodging."

"Rest assured, you _will_ not dodge this." The Captain held out his hilt and summoned each and every sakura petal back to him, forming a single white sword. "Shuukei Hakuteiken Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

A blast of pure white reiatsu dominated the sky before condensing into a pair of white flowing wings linked by an angelic halo that took position behind Byakuya, completing the transformation into his final ability.

Once it was settled Grimmjow whistled in admiration and crossed his arms, taking his time to look over the extent of his opponent's power.

_**Seems like that's it for him. He turned out to be pretty good after all.**_

_Yeah, we'd probably get pretty fucked up if we couldn't go one step further, huh? You ready?_

_**I've been ready since last night.**_

The two combatants pushed themselves to the limits of their strength to pull off one last decisive attack and in a flash of white and pale blue, the fight concluded as spontaneously as it began.

**……………….**

Pain lanced through Kuchiki Byakuya's abdomen but it hardly registered, not with the sight that was before him, not when he felt like the ocean and the sky had suddenly swapped locations to put a burning weight on his shoulders.

"What kind of monster are you?"

Grimmjow snickered darkly in a manner that sounded as if he was speaking underwater. He gave his superior a wicked smirk and tugged at the sword embedded in his stomach experimentally. "Monster? They must have taught you fuck all in the academy about Hollows because back home we call this Vasto Lord." He declared proudly, removing himself from Senbonzakura while still impaling its partner. "I didn't run through anything important so you can relax."

"You're…not going to finish this."

"Do you want me to?"

Byakuya now felt a mix of frustration, confusion, and awe at the Vice-Captain who had insulted the memory of his late wife.

There he stood, without a care in the world even though he now had one more hole than he should have. The bone of his crown had expanded, forming a full mask with complete jaws mimicking his unreleased fragment and a protrusion right under his hollowized eyes that had the vague outline of a feline nose. Intricate black markings ran along his face, thicker and ridged under the eye holes and ultimately ending at the peak of his crown where his ear had been relocated, taking a shorter and more pointed shape. Armor now covered his entire body save the mane of untamed blue hair. It was slightly bulkier with vertical black lines running up the appendages and crossing over his chest in jagged patterns before disappearing into a black ring under his neck.

Overall, _Pantera's_ _Segunda Etapa_ was a ferocious sight to behold even without taking into account the elongated claws, fangs, blades which while remaining the same in number, had become serrated and ran up past his master's hands.

"Now let me ask you the same question Kuchiki. If I let ya go, are you still going to try and kill me because I will hack you to pieces if you do even though I'm really not feeling it anymore? I'm not real keen on getting executed so do us both a favor and no more pink clouds, huh?" Grimmjow requested mockingly, watching a spot in the distance out of the corner of his eye.

Byakuya took a long look at the wound his Shuukei Hakuteiken had inflicted, frowning at the fact that it no longer bled and appeared a bit smaller than it had just seconds ago. "Whether I continue or not depends on how you answer me next Jeagerjaques-Fukutaicho," he began, doing his best not to flinch as the sawlike edge in his shoulder was slowly taken out. "Do you understand why I fought you?"

"I pissed you off."

"No."

"No?"

Now Byakuya just felt like smacking his palm to his forehead. "Only now do I realize how empty this battle was. Someone like you who has no empathy probably does not understand that referencing the deceased to their beloved in such a negative manner is insulting…All this time, it is if I've been fighting a monstrous child." He sighed, using Kido to stop his bleeding and sheathing his Zanpakuto." Grimmjow merely snorted. "Well damn, I only told you that I didn't get it right to your face," the Arrancar jabbed halfheartedly. "And I'll let it slide this time but I swear I'll kill you next time you call me trash and come at my pride like you did earlier."

The nobleman wanted to correct the flaw with that last sentence: he hadn't actually used the taboo word that seemed to mark him for death but…he really didn't feel like arguing and so he stayed silent for a pregnant moment before setting his eyes to the sea.

"There are only two things that you should fight for: what you have lost and what you don't want to lose," he said solemnly, still refusing to meet Grimmjow's attention. "A fight for wants and beliefs has no substance. That is what I have learned in my many years."

"Idiot, you're still talkin' like I've never lost anything. You see this hole? That means I've lost everything. What you should be accusing me of is having nothing _left_ to lose." The Vice-Captain growled, gesturing to his Hollow hole and watching as Byakuya faced him with half-concealed shock that remained for an immeasurably short amount of time until it fell into an expression of pity. "Even with all that power at your disposal, your greatest weakness is defenseless."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"A warrior's heart is always a target for his enemies but he can armor it and use it as a weapon if he entrusts it to the woman he loves. Did you know that? Surely you experienced it when you fought Kurosaki. Surely you saw the depth of his will, the will of a man who uses his sword always to prevent death and tragedy by killing those that would threaten that which he cherishes."

This time it was Grimmjow who moved his focus out of the conversation and to the late afternoon horizon.

Vibrant reds mixed with a mellow indigo in the clouds reflected on the glassy placidity of the faraway waters at the point where it seemed a man could stand on their surface and touch the sun with little effort.

"Vice-Captain Jeagerjaques, you may not look like one when keep your power at bay but your existence is one of a Hollow's. And for that, I do pity you. Since you have never known love, I will postpone this match until you do and then I will see if you truly consider Hisana's death so trivial."

With that, Byakuya made to leave until a hand found his shoulder. He spun to see more emotion than he thought could be expressed by Hollow eyes staring at him with masked intent. "Keh, I'll put up with most of what you said. I can't really prove you otherwise since I've got a new heart that hasn't seen too much action but…don't talk like you can learn everything about me at one shot, Kuchiki. Lookin' at you, I'm probably over double your age," Grimmjow muttered, nodding his permission for the noble to leave and watching him vanish in the direction of the shore.

"I almost fell asleep waiting for him to stop talking"

The twice released Arrancar chuckled and felt the three reiatsu signatures of the others of his kind beside him. "You didn't tell him that the back of his swimsuit is missing," Nel giggled, giving her associate a friendly rub on his evolved ears to be met with only minimal resistance. "Well he was still kind of pissing me off and it was funny."

"It was an awesome fight though so it was worth waiting on him. You really kicked his ass, kitty," Lilynette wheezed. "Can't ya do something about that reiatsu? I can barely breathe," she coughed, struggling to stand amidst the overburdening spiritual pressure. "Sorry brat but this I'm suppressing it as much as I can, maybe you should train more if you're shooting to be the same rank as me one day, Acting-Fukutaicho." The lime-haired girl paled and put her hands on her knees in an attempt to keep them from shaking.

"So you got your real power now?" Starrk queried, raising a bit of his own reiatsu to counteract his friend's and allow his companion to stand upright. "Yeah, looks like it, huh? If only Tousen was alive to see me now, the bastard," Grimmjow snarled challengingly to no one in particular.

The tough act only lasted until he remembered how things were when he left the shore.

"Shit," he began in a tone that dripped with dread. "Did you get them to calm down any?"

"Not really bu-"

"Fuck!"

"But they should be better when they see that guy come back alive so don't worry so much, its not like you," Starrk murmured tiredly, scratching the back of his head with languid strokes. "But Soifon-Taicho was really worried about you so we should head back soon," Nelliel added, putting her finger to her chin. "Yoru-chan and I tried to calm her down but she just ended up getting angry…thankfully more at you than us."

_Great…looks like I'm high and dry tonight._

"Alright, go ahead. I'll be back in a minute. Do me a favor and tie Shaolin up for me."

"You could probably flick her through a wall right now but okay. I'm glad to see that you're becoming more of a pacifist."

"Eat me, Goat Lady."

No comeback came and so Nel left in a huff with Lilynette on her heels, leaving the former _Sexta_ and _Primera_ to survey the sunset in peace.

"Did I ever tell you what Aizen fed me to turn me into a Vasto Lorde?" Starrk asked quietly, running his fingers over the bone fragment adorning his neck. "I think I have a good idea," Grimmjow spat in a defeated tone, bringing his hands up to his fully formed jaw. "It was that piece of your mask that Tousen ripped off."

"Figures."

Starrk nodded sympathetically and clapped his comrade's back. "It's good to see that you got what you deserved. I just wish you would've gotten it sooner so I might've had a chance not to get this damn number one on my hand. You're the one that likes being strong after all but I guess its just one of the mysteries of life why things turned out the way they did."

"Like how you can drink sake with that hole in your throat?"

"…Something like that…I think its time to go back."

"Yeah."

Sealing his _Segunda Etapa_, Grimmjow slid _Pantera_ into his sheathe and made for the beach where he wasn't exactly greeted by his Captain the way he would have preferred her to which was naked and carrying alcohol. No, he was far from achieving that at the moment.

"Relax Shaolin, I can explain. I-Ack!"

One tremendous beating later: Grimmjow sat cross-legged on a dune and munched on some of his marlin that he had stolen from the freezer inside the Surf Shack since no one was really keen on making him dinner. His company consisted of Starrk, Yoruichi, and Unohana in his general vicinity while Soifon sat further down, doing her best to ignore Lilynette who was trying to convince her to teach her some moves that she could use to wake up her superior more efficiently.

To be honest, Grimmjow would rather incur his petite Commander's wrath five times over than sit through what he was doing right now which was being chewed out by a very tested Fourth Division officer.

"I'm just glad neither of you got seriously hurt and that Kuchiki-Taicho isn't bringing a case against you to Central Forty-Six," Unohana chimed happily, giving the ex-_Espada_ a look that would have made most Eleventh Division members swear a vow of non-violence. "But don't make any mistake; I _will not_ tolerate anything of this nature again. Do I make myself clear, Jeagerjaques-Fukutaicho?" Yes, it was safe to say that she was extremely angry and that trying to be cute and calling her 'Mama' would be a really bad idea. "Yes, Unohana-Taicho," Grimmjow affirmed with more respect than he had ever given Aizen.

"Good, I'll be off to bed then. If you're going to carry on with the music again than do try to be quiet will you?"

"Yes Ma'am"

"Goodnight Jeagerjaques-Fukutaicho."

"Goodnight Unohana-Taicho."

Grimmjow released a breath that made his lungs feel like they were full of helium once the woman entered her tent. "What a scary lady," he groused through a mouthful of fish. "I feel for you, Grimm but you deserve it for making us postpone the watermelon smashing until tomorrow," Yoruichi chastised lightly, mowing through her own filet at mach speed. "How was I supposed to know that one little fight would get you all so uptight?"

"Common sense?"

"Instinct?"

"Both of you can go to hell," Grimmjow grumbled, scowling at the ensuing laughter and opting to stare into the small fire he had made in the sand instead of continuing to set himself up for ridicule. He risked a glance at Soifon and spat in distaste when he saw that she was doing a spectacular job of ignoring him. If he hadn't developed any sense or knowledge of the female mind, he probably would've just hit her with a _bala_. After all, most men didn't understand that any form of attention isn't always better than none.

"She was about to lose it when Byakuya-bo came back before you did, you know?" Yoruichi commented offhandedly, sidling next to her friend and sharing the view of her protégé's figure looking out into the moonlight. "Well then she should have more faith in me. Like I'd ever get killed by a pink cloud," Grimmjow murmured back, his cheeks propped up on stilted fists. "Speaking of that, how exactly did you manage to come back without a scratch? I know your limits and there's no way that you fought him that well."

"Maybe I'm just that damn good."

"You're not. Did you heal yourself with _Resurreccion_ or something?"

"…Or something."

"Care to tell me about it."

_Guess they couldn't feel it from all the way over here._

"Maybe I'll show you tomorrow for that watermelon thing."

Recognizing a lost cause when she saw it, the anamorphic woman turned to Starrk and met his half-lidded stare intently. "Coyote," she called in a sing-song voice. "Don't call me that," the fatigued hybrid mumbled. "I won't if you tell me what happened."

"Isn't my place to do that. Go bother someone else."

"Fine," Yoruichi puffed in exasperation. "I barely slept last night so I'm turning in."

"Spying on me?" Grimmjow inquired with a rejuvenated smirk, cocking an electric blue eyebrow. "Maybe," Yoruichi answered suggestively. "Night boys."

* * *

An hour or so later and Grimmjow's exhaustion from using his new release for the first time caught up with him, making him feel like every second added another ton to the weight on his eyelids.

Getting up, he kicked sand over the fire to put it out and strolled over to the campsite where he came across a certain raven-haired Vice-Captain with one foot in her tent. "Hey," he greeted blandly, hands in the pockets of his swimsuit. "I gotta hand it to ya, kid. You were right about some things earlier today before it got out of hand." Rukia simply watched him carefully and said nothing, letting him say his piece. "You said I'm incapable of regret, right?" He started in a neutral voice. "Let me ask you then, lady. What the hell is the one thing that turns humans into Hollows?"

"But…you were right. Back then I didn't regret what I did; I'll admit that much so you can get off me. And you know what? I'll even go as far to say that I might feel differently if I put a hole in you now."

Rukia nodded her head and disappeared into her accommodations.

"That was all I wanted to hear, Jeagerjaques-Fukutaicho. Goodnight."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes and gave the retreating girl a mock wave before spying a tent further down the line that captured his interest. He padded over to it stealthily and slipped through the flaps, his night vision allowing him to spot a lump of sheets and ebony silk to the rear of the structure.

"What do you want?" A frigid tone cut through the silence, followed by the rustling of sheets. "Sleep," Grimmjow replied coyly, shrugging off his clothes and moving under the covers with feline grace. "I swear I'll kill you if you try anything. I am _not_ in the mood tonight," Soifon growled, giving more of an incentive than an inhibitor to her subordinate. "Don't worry about me, Shaolin. I'm tired as hell anyway," the second-in-command half-lied, wrapping his arm around the woman's waist and burying his nose in her hair. He inhaled her scent slowly and began to trace small circles with his index finger over the hard muscles in her abdomen.

"You fought him just for some grudge you have against a dead man."

_Well at least Wolf Boy told her something._

"Yeah."

"Reckless bastard," Soifon sighed rolling around and planting a chaste kiss on the Arrancar's lips before pressing her body to his chest and resting her head on his shoulder. "Sorry," Grimmjow breathed into the back of her neck. "But I did tell you not to worry so damn much about me, didn't I?" A jab to his stomach refuted the statement and he laughed up at the ceiling.

"What would you have done if he accused you of treason for attacking him, you idiot?" The Captain berated, more than ready to get the hell of the emotional roller coaster that she had been riding non-stop for past few weeks. "Well to be fair, Shaolin. I did say that I usually do things without thinking this morning." Grimmjow defended, aiming a pair of mischievous blue orbs at his Commander. "Oh and that reminds me. Didn't I tell you that I don't give a fuck if you're not in the mood, Shinigami?"

"Are you challenging me, Arrancar?" Soifon demanded coldly, her eyes melting into a playful glimmer.

"You know it, beautiful."

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Wow…that took me forever to write even though I had some fun with this chapter.

**Now there are some parts I'm not happy with and I might go back and edit them but I swore to myself that I'd have this up by this weekend so here's the longest chapter for this story (probably). Grimmjow's second release is based heavily on his Adjuchas form by the way and don't worry, you'll see more of it next time.**

**Drop a review and do me a big favor and point out mistakes if you see them.**


	13. Time to Hang Your Mask Up

She had hated him once.

She'd met him and she had instantly hated him. After all, what the hell would a guy like him be doing around Second Division: a squad consisting of quiet people who had very little identity and took orders without question? But then she tested him and grudgingly respected him after losing a bet that caused him to call her by her birth name more times than she'd heard in the last century. After that, she unknowingly developed some disastrous breed of girlish crush, something that she would have put far below her if anyone had asked if she was capable of harboring such a thing. However, as much as she could deny it, it stayed rooted in her heart and no amount of mental resistance could have made it go away.

Eventually, it developed into recognizable emotional and physical interest which she accepted well enough. She acted on it logically in a manner that would give her a way out if he dropped the ball or turned out to not know that a game was actually being played. And in the time spent waiting, she observed his qualities and behaviors over and over again just to be safe. Getting hurt again wasn't an option.

He was…different to say the least; in a good way though. He was surprisingly perceptive, able to discern whatever was wrong with her at an instant and then remedy it with exactly what was needed to counteract her current problem whether it be a display of his remarkable intelligence or simply having fun out of the office. He was oddly sweet and strong enough to keep her on her toes during sparring unlike her old Vice-Captain. He was also very satisfying in more ways than one.

No, Soifon hadn't made a wrong decision in forming an attachment this time around even if he was finding enjoyment in raising her stress levels to the boiling point by being his trademarked reckless self, getting near-mortally injured, revealing his sexual history, and challenging Captains to death matches. In all fairness, these sorts of things kept their relationship, or whatever it was they had, infinitely interesting. The nights they spent together helped too.

With a content sigh, the Commander of the Onmitsukido idly traced her index finger over her lover's abdominals while he toyed with her morning hair. It was a damn good thing she had cast the best healing kido she knew on the both of them before going to bed or they would've had to cover their entire bodies to hide the evidence of the previous night's activities. Things work out that way when one sado-masochist tries to make the other submit.

There was still a beautiful bite wound that was now a dull red and purple; she figured she could hide it just fine if she stretched her bathing suit a little. He on the other hand was frustratingly flawless due to his naturally accelerated healing plus the kido.

_I'll have to find an excuse to hit him._

"You're thinking about something I ain't gonna like, aren't you?" Grimmjow mumbled groggily, aiming a cocked eyebrow at his superior who let a small smile slip past the mask she often passed off as her face in front of her peers. "Was it that obvious?" Soifon replied humorously, stealing a kiss to interrupt whatever witty retort was fated to follow. "Didn't take long for me to figure out that you laugh to yourself like a little girl when you're thinking about something I don't like." Or not but at least she could hit him without feeling guilty. The irony was palpable.

Once recovered from a right to the unprotected half of his jaw, Grimmjow gave his Captain a wicked smirk before crushing her lips against his.

It was going to be difficult for Soifon to keep her normally impassive and intimidating features intact in front of her Division if she kept having mornings like this…that didn't mean she'd opt for the lonely mornings she'd had in the last hundred years though.

After the pillow talk was done, the pair scrubbed the previous night away with the help of a bucket of fresh water they'd prepared ahead of time, dyeing the many handcloths that came with their accommodations a dark pink. And as his prize for winning the one-sided race to see who got clean first, Grimmjow had the honor of checking outside to see if anyone was in the general vicinity who didn't already know about his new sleeping arrangements.

Stealthily, he unzipped the flap halfway and poked his head out, complying with the instructions of his Captain who insisted with her fist that he didn't walk around naked in public subsequent an argument of the subject. To the right: nothing but the gentle sounds of the morning tide breaking on the reef. To the left: a crab was busy renovating its home by expelling blades of sea grass that had blown inside. The coast was clear so to say until another zip caught the Arrancar's attention.

Copying the position of her neighbor, Ise Nanao checked left, right, and then froze at the sight of the highly-amused man who shared her rank. A moment passed and the only thing that dared to move was a widening Cheshire grin. "Jeagerjaques-Fukutaicho, I believe your tent is elsewhere," Nanao sputtered, a redness of multiple sources marring her face. "I could say the same thing, lady," countered Grimmjow, sending the mortified Vice-Captain a knowing wink. "…Touché." The sun reflected on her lenses sparkled brilliantly and then the pair of glasses suddenly retreated with a ruffle of fabric.

"Morning, Cross Dresser."

"Morning, Grimmjow."

A loud groan signaled the Second-in-Command's reentry into his quarters where he met a rather concerned Soifon. "What was that all about," she asked coldly, gesturing with her head toward the source of two nearby voices that were painfully audible since the deactivation of the portable soundproof barrier.

"Oh that? I ran into Glasses Lady coming out of Cross Dresser's tent and we came to a mutual understanding." To be perfectly honest, the former _Sexta_ didn't give a damn about who learned of his inter-squad relation. In his mind, if Yoruichi knew then it was only a matter of time; a very short one especially if Rangiku was in on it too. Based on the looks of 'I know what you did' he'd been receiving that only a female of her caliber could hope to pull off; it was a good guess that she knew everything. She would have to be reminded that if she were to disclose any compromising secrets of his she stumbled upon to the public that she would be eaten…and not in the way that she was used to. Although, she would be assisting him greatly by divulging this particular bit of information and make it so he didn't have to comply with his bedmate's wishes and dodge anything that could find out about them.

"She should keep her mouth shut then. We might even have more leverage than she does considering how embarrassed she is of him," Soifon mused aloud as she mentally congratulated herself for finally being able to keep up with her subordinate's excessive use of nicknames. "We should still leave soon to keep up appearances," she added, running a towel down her legs one last time before standing up and stopping to catch the strange expression Grimmjow was giving her.

"I hope you know that I ain't gonna keep this up forever, Shaolin. Sneaking around might be what the two of us are all about but its starting to become a pain in the ass to keep avoiding everyone," he groused while he threw on his swimwear, half-expecting an immediate slug to his exposed stomach for vocalizing his disapproval of Soifon's approach to the matter at hand. When that didn't come, he moved his eyes curiously from the string around his waist to her own gray orbs. "What? Is it really that much of a problem?"

Uncomfortable silence now permeated the air as Soifon clothed herself wordlessly, in thought. "Of course it is, idiot." She whispered barely enough for Grimmjow's heightened senses to hear. "You think people will just accept it?"

"I don't give a fu-"

"I'm well aware of your opinion and part of me shares it," the raven-haired officer interrupted tersely. "The hatred of Hollows and any sort of hybrid of the two species goes back far beyond both of our lifetimes. A whole lot of Shinigami strongly believe that Kurosaki Ichigo should have his powers sealed and he's the one that dealt Aizen the deathblow so that should give you an idea of what the majority in Seireitei thinks of you and the others. There is a reason why I don't force you into the company of our division, you know? And if that was all there was too it then I'd disregard what they think but it isn't. I'm not expecting you to understand any of this, hell, I don't half the time. Just listen when I say that keeping quiet now will make things easier later." She paused and looked at the floor in a vain attempt to hide the blush creeping up on her cheeks. "Besides they might execute one or both of us because they'd be afraid of what…uh…hmm…" Her words were left hanging and she quickly made her way over to the side of the enclosed space where her hairbrush gave her an excuse to put her heated face out of sight.

Perplexed, Grimmjow navigated through piles of dirty sheets strewn carelessly around the floor and snaked his head around Soifon's shoulders in an effort to find out why the conversation had come to a sudden stop. "Afraid of what? Spit it out, Shaolin," he prodded, delicately tilting her chin over to align with his. For a second she simply stared of to the side and ignored the mix of mirth and frustration expressed by the man in front of her. "Afraid of…" she started slowly, now focusing on the green and white striped fabric overhead. "What might…uh…potentially result from our relationship." Grimmjow immediately released her and appeared to be a little sheepish himself from the way he scratched the back of his head. "Oh…huh."

…

"What color hair do you think they'd have?"

**…………………………**

Soon after that, the couple reached a consensus: their status would remain hidden as best it could until Soul Society had enough time to get over the fact that Arrancar were now occupying the highest ranks in their military. Sure three out of four were temporary but that wasn't going to halt any prejudice by a long shot.

Currently, they didn't have a care in the world however. Both were situated comfortably under an umbrella that blocked out the harsh rays of the sun suspended high above the clear blue sky. Nel, Yoruichi, and Rangiku had joined them and the latter had procured several bottles of a casual sweet sake perfect for summertime sea viewing.

"Nice day, eh?" Grimmjow commented, bringing his saucer up to his lips and keeping his eyes fixed lazily to the churning surf where Lilynette and Yachiru had teamed up in an unholy alliance to make sure Starrk never slept out in the open ever again. Several lethargic noises of agreement sounded off beside him as he observed the two girls pour a plastic bucket of saltwater directly into the ex-_Primera's_ mouth. "I don't even feel like fucking anything up today," he continued, taking his turn to refill everyone's dish. "That's good," Yoruichi yawned. "I don't think our little Bee can take any more drama."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Soifon growled from behind her drink, glaring at Nel who waved her hands defensively in front of her face. "Don't look at me. I never said anything!" She squeaked. "Oh?" Rangiku chimed in, leaning closer to the seafoam-haired woman. "Anything about what? Pray tell." The situation was now beyond the petite Captain's control. There was no conceivable way she could pry Matsumoto off of a secret once she got wind of it.

Meanwhile, Grimmjow was thoroughly enjoying the scene playing out without his contribution. He now knew that everyone around him was aware of what had transpired during the past few days and that knowledge brought with it a sense of ease. From what he could deduce, Rangiku was either attempting to see if Nel knew what she knew or she was trying to get it all out in the open which would be doing him a huge favor.

_Huh...damn…there's a weird scent coming from under us…Hollow!_

"Alright," he stated abruptly, getting to his feet and downing his sake before walking away from the umbrella. "You ladies have fun over there."

"What are you-"

"The lot of you should sharpen your instincts and Nelliel; you should really pay attention to your senses." Grimmjow chastised mockingly, watching as what looked like a giant ball with tentacles burst forth from the sand and sent the four flying in different directions. "The fuck is that?" In a flash, he had his Zanpakuto recovered from where it was planted in the dunes and readied himself for a fight against whatever weird sort of Hollow he was encountering.

_Its just standing there like an idiot and it smells like fruit. Looks like this soft-head doesn't even know how to walk._

"Perhaps I should've marked its location with a sign instead of a recreational apparatus," a monotone voice remarked from behind the Vice Captain, causing him to turn and regard Kurotsuchi Nemu with a questioning gaze. "Is this disgrace your pet?" Grimmjow asked blandly, using his sword to point to the green and black creature. "No."

"Care to expand on that?"

"It's one of the watermelon Hollows that we're using for today's event," Unohana explained softly as she strode over next to the other beachgoers including a quartet of pissed off, sandy women. "So it's half-Hollow and half fruit? I guess that's why it looks like it should be wearing a helmet."

"This unit is for educational purposes only," corrected Nemu. "This beta model includes upgraded attack and defensive capabilities. It can also effectively communicate with others of its kind to quickly and accurately take down a target. These will not kill; they will simply incapacitate us if they can. Our goal is to kill and consume them in a competitive manner and they will put up non-lethal resistance."

"So whoever kills the most wins?"

"Correct. We will now begin the process of dividing ourselves in teams of-"

A bright crimson blast interrupted the procedure and Grimmjow was revealed with his lips twisted into a frown when the smoke cleared. "Nelliel, is this your cousin or something? That thing just ate my _cero_ with its leg," he shouted, catching a coconut aimed at his head and hurling it at the watermelon only to have it swatted away harmlessly.

"Reiatsu-based attacks won't work."

Taking that as his queue, Starrk ambled tiredly past the crowd and fired his own cero at the beast and shrugged when it was diffused albeit with greater difficulty. "Seems like she isn't lying," he affirmed. "Although we can try stronger attacks if you want."

"I don't really think blowing up the beach is a good idea," Isane murmured, finding an ally in her superior who nodded. "It would provide excellent data if you were to oblige." Everyone raised their eyebrows at Nemu while she produced a notepad and pen from her swimsuit, causing an array of different reactions.

"Well then let's see what this thing can take."

"You're enthusiasm is kind of out-of-place." Nel scoffed at Starrk while she tried as best she could to fasten _Gamuza_ to her bikini. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I'm hungry," Starrk answered bluntly. "Now open your mouth, I'm going to shoot one in."

Nearly every Shinigami in the vicinity had eyes double their normal size at that declaration, most of the men began to cough uneasily, and Grimmjow and Yoruichi were forced to support themselves lest they fall over from laughing too hard. Eventually, a _Cero Doble_ was successfully fired and the awkwardness was put to rest but the same couldn't be said about the Arrancars' annoyance over the innefectiveness of their distinguishing attack. That wasn't to say that their stubbornness hadn't been completely unrewarded: the Hollow had been unable to absorb all of the energyand it had been knocked onto the ground where it was bleeding fruit juice all over the shore.

So when Nemu had finished scribbling away in her pad, it was Grimmjow's turn to use the next step up.

Not wasting any time, he cut his palm and charged up a space-distorting _Gran Rey Cero_ that came close to blowing the head off of the watermelon.

"Overkill," Renji noted sourly as Grimmjow impaled the melon with an umbrella and brought it over to be enjoyed by all. "Reiatsu-based attack won't work my ass," he snickered, sinking his fangs into the hide and eagerly drinking up the Hollow reiryoku that satiated much more than hunger. "I don't think the Twelfth tested that level of attack on them," Soifon muttered through small bites, hiding her astonishment at the amount of power behind the gigantic explosion.

"So what do win this time around," Rangiku inquired eagerly, thrilled at the prospect of another chance to gain prize money. "Nothing, I'm afraid." Unohana responded, a hint of disappointment evident in her tone. "All of our excess money was used for the Beach Art Competition prize."

This revelation didn't go over well with the lazier competitors.

"Losing team does the secondary paperwork of all the winning teams for a month," Grimmjow announced more than suggested, sparking a revived ardor amongst the group. If there was one thing they could agree on it was that they all hated unnecessary paperwork and that was the kind that tended to create stacks up to the ceiling. "A little unorthodox but I suppose I can allow it if no one has any objections," the Fourth Division Captain pondered.

There were no objections; not from Nanao, nor Toushiro, and not even Byakuya. And no one could remember the last time they saw Starrk and Rangiku more awake.

"Well, alright. Go ahead and divide into teams. Ukitake-Taicho and I will be judging again."

"Actually," Ukitake piped up, looking slightly embarrassed. "Thanks to Inoue-chan, my sickness is gone and well…I'd like to participate if you wouldn't mind judging alone." He could've been easily mistaken for a child wanting to go out to play with his friends after completing some sort of chore by the way he posed the question. "Go ahead, Juushirou. Kurotsuchi-Fukutaicho will assist me." Unohana permitted cheerfully, waving him off to Kiyone who immediately recruited him to her team.

The others consisted of:

_Grimmjow and Soifon_

_Renji and Hisagi_

_Yoruichi and Rangiku_

_Starrk and Lilynette_

_Isane and Toushiro_

_Byakuya and Rukia_

_Shunsui and Nanao_

_Nel and Yachiru_

"This going to be fun," Grimmjow cackled, absolutely ecstatic over what was to come. Not only could he see how Soifon killed but he could take this opportunity to test his own new strength and see the look on everyone's faces. "Just don't get blood drunk and attack your allies," his Commander warned half-heartedly, sharing his competitive smirk. "I'm looking forward to all the free time this will give us," she hinted sultrily, internally wondering if his mouth was going to split open from his smile. "You're a masochist, Shaolin. You're putting yourself up for some serious pain," the blue-haired Arrancar chuckled.

"I could say the same to you, couldn't I?"

Sporting their matching carnal visages, the pair of Second Division officers strolled up to where the other teams had lined up in front of Nemu who was about to wrap things up.

"As per the request of Unohana-Taicho, Ukitake-Taicho, and Kuchiki-Taicho, there are five thousand Hollows buried under the beach. They have been programmed with a timer that counts down to their activation with the first wave appearing in two minutes; the units will keep a constant number of five hundred at one time by deploying another when one has been destroyed." She paused to see if anyone didn't understand. "Before we begin, I'd like to request that Bankai and _Resurreccion_ remain sealed as Mayuri-sama would like the units' data processors to remain intact."

Grimmjow and Starrk didn't like that one bit. "Hell, if they can use Shikai then I'm using Shunkou," the former clamored, earning cries of protest from all around. "Besides, that bastard can just deal with it after all those needles he jabbed us with." The other hybrids scowled and supported that point unwaveringly.

"Then may I ask you to avoid destroying their center-left eye?"

"Whatever."

"All techniques and releases are allowed then."

That wasn't really what Grimmjow wanted; he had just been advocating for the use of _Resurreccion_. He had fought two Bankai and after going against Senbonzakura and Zangetsu, he knew how well they performed under these sorts of battle parameters.

"You may begin preparing your weapons."

_I guess I'll just have to go all out right from the start._

_**I was hoping you'd say that.**_

"Scatter! Bankai!"

"Dance!"

"Howl! Bankai!"

"Reap!"

"Growl!"

"Run!"

"Sit Upon the Frozen Heavens! Bankai!"

"All Waves, Rise now and Become my Shield, Lightning, Strike now and Become my Blade!"

"Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Roar, Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer!"

"Shunkou!"

"Declare!"

"Kick About!"

"Sting All Enemies to Death!"

"Grind!"

"No Bankai to show me, Shaolin?" Grimmjow queried, flexing his claws in anticipation for the end of Unohana's countdown. "Those of us that aren't releasing have abilities ill-suited to handle this sort of thing while allies are moving around the field unpredictably. But…maybe I'll show it to you if you find me a nice group with no one else around," Soifon remarked coolly. "And maybe you can show me something too. I still haven't fought against your release yet so I'm not sure what you're capable of."

_**Oh she is just begging for it.**_

"If you want...hey, what the hell is that stupid wolf doing over there?"

At the sidelines, Starrk was sprawled out under an umbrella oozing with watermelon blood with his gun barrels driven into the sand to muffle Lilynette's shrieks of outrage. His eyes shone with a comical glint when they met Grimmjow's, well aware of how strange his position was. He stayed as such for a minute and flicked his hand outwards when the countdown neared thirty and summoned an army of flaming red wolves to take his place at the starting line.

"Bastard, he's just going to sit there the whole damn time," the former _Sexta_ spat, fighting the urge to laugh. "And I bet he still won't come in last."

"How did such a lazy person become so strong?" Soifon wondered distastefully, making a connection to Urahara Kisuke's ascension to Captainship. "Long story," Grimmjow snarled, refusing to meet his lover's piqued interest any further. "I'll show him what real strength is."

Azure energy began wrapping around his body as his eyes took on their blue and yellow hollowized appearance. "What are you doing?!" He gave Starrk a mock salute as he sat up to get a better view of the event before turning to Soifon. "You asked me to show you something, didn't you?" His voice came out distorted as if he were speaking underwater, sending a small chill down his Captain's spine.

Unohana's countdown ceased as a blanket of heavy reiatsu permeated the air, forcing the less-powerful of the competitors to put some space between themselves and the source to avoid choking on what felt like an ocean brought up into the atmosphere. And those that had experienced the transformation before were still wary of it; Starrk had called his pack over to him to prevent them from detonating prematurely by coming into contact with the thick mist surrounding his friend. Lilynette had gone silent, Nel was rocking back and forth on her hooves uneasily, and Byakuya was watching the shadow within the dissipating cloud intently.

"He should meet Ken-chan," Yachiru mused from Nel's back, her mouth in tiny 'o' as she studied Grimmjow's second release. "That would be a disaster," Renji said lowly next to her. "He never pulled this on Ichigo, only that _Cuarta_ freak did. And this…feels worse."

"This feels great," Grimmjow proclaimed excitedly, every syllable sending an eerie wisp of cyan steam through his fangs. He relished in the electric sensation coursing through his skin, condensing the raw energy around him into his body and feeling the massive amount of power well up inside of him. "Impressed, Shaolin?"

The woman in question was currently attempting to rid her body of the horribly numb feeling she had received from standing in such close proximity to the transformation. "What the hell is this?" She coughed, gaping at the sight of a full set of razor-sharp ivory teeth where only half of one had been a moment ago.

Grimmjow looked down at her with amusement evident in his eyes behind his near-full Hollow mask. Ears twitching happily, he followed Soifon's eyes in their path down the many thick black lines curving around his ashen skin. "This is…"

"_Segunda Etapa_: my _Vasto Lorde _evolution." A diminutive shockwave punctuated his claim, sending a pulse through the stillness that sent a thin layer of sand off the ground.

"Hey," the center of attention called over to Unohana, noticing that she was far too serious for his taste. "I'm still following the rules so ya don't need to look at me like that, Mama." This seemed to chisel some of the ice off her features. "Yes you are, Grimmjow but I would advise you to notify those around you when revealing something of this magnitude. I expect a full report on this new _Resurreccion_ of yours delivered to the Soutaicho tomorrow in return for putting us on edge like this," the master healer demanded warmly, relaxing the other Shinigami with her lack of concern over the very Hollow-looking beast at the starting line.

"That is unnecessary," Byakuya spoke up, eyeing his Bankai swirling above his head. "It has been included in my detailing of yesterday's incident."

Unfortunately for Unohana, the first wave of watermelons jumped up from the beach before she could ask why she hadn't been previously notified when she had healed the noble the previous day. She merely sighed and watched everyone race off except for Starrk who pulled out a bottle of sake and gruffly told his pack of _cero_ wolves to "go get 'em."

**……………………………**

"Hope this ain't bothering you, Shaolin," Grimmjow hollered over chaotic medley of sounds ranging from bestial roars to gargantuan explosions. "Just surprised and angry that you hid this from me. Was this your way of telling me that you have your equivalent of a Bankai?" Soifon yelled back, stabbing one of the lumbering Hollows twice in quick succession with Suzumebachi before it could ensnare her within its vines. "I got it two nights ago, give me a fucking break." The double released Arrancar shot back, using his serrated blades to cleave off the head of one of the creatures that thought it could take advantage of his woman's incredulity. "Bullshit. I don't know what kind of trial you have to go through but there's no way you did it in your sleep."

"Oh? Maybe I'm just that damn good."

_**You're not.**_

_Shut up, cat._

"And I'm glad you like it," Grimmjow hissed after punching a one of the fruits with such force that seeds and pink gore rocketed out of the opposite end of the strike. "Just because you've been so nice about it, I promise not to use it inside our office."

Rolling her eyes, the Commander of the Onmitsukido brought her lips into a taught line and paused her assault to play spectator to her second-in-command as he launched a large drill-like explosive from his elbow and laughed maniacally when it obliterated an assembly of melons that had already been targeted by Daiguren Hyourinmaru.

_He's unreal. That reiatsu feels like it could kill most of our unseated officers and its still under the limit seal…I'll have to start training harder._

Completely unaware of his superior's scorn for their difference in power and being deemed a victim of what he called Starrk Syndrome, Grimmjow proceeded to test out his new abilities. Increased speed and strength had been a given, the former convincing him to make a mental note to challenge Yoruichi to another game of tag. He also discovered that he could now channel reiryoku through his claws and hurl wide crescents of energy reminiscent of a certain technique that had once scarred his chest horribly. Yes, he was enjoying his new evolution and he was making it evident with every barrage of bright blue sickles, volley of darts, and set of lightning-fast slashes from the jagged weapons adorning his limbs.

A cloud of sakura petals soon changed that, washing over his next enemy leaving nothing but the lingering sweet scent of what had been there only a fraction of a second before. His indignation then grew again when he motioned to decapitate a Hollow and instead found his blade blocked by Kyouraku Shunsui who emerged from the shadow of a nearby palm tree and stole the point for himself. "Damn it," the enraged Arrancar hollered at the pink kimono that was sinking back into the ground. However, he did find some humor in realizing that his Shinigami competitors were behaving very similarly to _Espada_ by repeatedly intruding on his predatorily rights.

The dry humor was amplified when he sped towards an untouched watermelon only to have it disintegrate in front of him and discover that a black and yellow gauntlet was protruding from the enlarged hole in his abdomen. "Funny, Shaolin. I thought I was the one who did this sort of thing in our relationship," he quipped, making sure the innuendo wasn't lost by spinning around and raising his eyebrows suggestively. "How crude," Soifon snorted, a tiny smile tingeing her lips as she removed her hand from Grimmjow's lengthened hair and pinched a triangular ear between her thumb and forefinger. "That's twenty-nine for me?"

"Twenty-six for me," Grimmjow grumbled. "They've been having fun taking my prey. I'd be pretty pissed if this was a real fight."

"How pitiful. Even with that release of yours, you can't beat my Shikai," Soifon lamented airily, closing her eyes in mock sympathy and succeeding in getting a rise from the hybrid. "So you want me to start trying, huh?"

Ribbons of sapphire spirit energy erupted from his fingers, forming ten notched crescents that stretched well into the air. "_Pantera_ calls this _Ultimo __Desgarron_," informed Grimmjow proudly, looking up into the sky next to his Captain who had her hand over her eyes in hopes of seeing exactly how far the tendrils extended. "Impressive," she praised honestly, jumping back when all ten fell from the air right in front of her and branched off in separate directions, skewering Hollows faster than she could count and displaying a surprising amount of dexterity in their movements by hitting only opposing forces save some of Starrk's wolves. As if that wasn't enough, her jaw dropped when they crisscrossed at blinding speeds and decimated hordes of fruit entirely.

Soifon felt a bead of sweat run down the back of her head while her subordinate's best technique continued to arc into the air like a great wave and crash down on the creatures, sending mountains of sand cascading into the air. Eventually, the blades of light halted their massacre and shrank back to their master's hands, prompting him to give his lover an end-all smirk behind his mask. "That's about three hundred for me, beautiful. But I'm sure your little Shikai can pick up the slack in no time." His words were coated in so much syrup that it made Soifon want to gag and Suzumebachi rip his head off which she made known…loudly, giving her partner a magnificent headache.

"Trying to make me go Bankai, are you?" She parried with a knowing grin. "I told you the conditions but until then, how about we focus on not coming in last by standing around, hm?"

"Sounds good, Shaolin. Let's take them from the beach."

Both Second Division officers descended to the shore without another word and resumed their onslaught with a vengeance. In a bolt of white reiatsu, Soifon burst into Shunkou, somehow managing to keep her top on much to Grimmjow's amazement and the two tore through the sand.

It wasn't long until the Arrancar abandoned the prospect of simply having fun and joined the petite woman in devastating the opposition with mach-speed punches and kicks that sent shockwaves resounding through the ocean. Oh he was still having fun but something about ripping everything around him to shreds with the object of his immature affection by his side was igniting something inside of him. He was proud of her, noticing the way that she countered his greater speed by taking straighter paths to catch up to him and the manner in which she would shatter the legs of a Hollow and pass it along to him for the deathblow.

They navigated through fields of stalky limbs, leaving a wake of destruction behind them as they maneuvered and attacked using each other's bodies as tools to pull of attacks that would have been outside their normal capabilities.

Grimmjow fired off a pair of _bala_ forceful enough to send one of the melon's teeth through the top of its head and then linked arms with Soifon, utilizing his position to swing her over to deliver a strike that had enough momentum to break another Hollow into countless pieces. Upon landing, she directed one of the larger fragments of rind over to the former _Espada_ who used it as a platform to dive into the gaping maw of a third target where he raised his reiatsu to the point where the beast blew to bits. And when Haineko dared to take one of their points, it met a supersonic roar that blew it to the opposite end of the coast.

They were exhibiting spectacular battle chemistry and through it they were learning patterns in the design of the battleground. When a large group was destroyed, another would pop out of the earth close together and so the team had begun relying on Grimmjow's nose to initiate a series of pre-emptive strikes that allowed them to dominate the other competitors.

"I think they're starting to notice our strategy," Grimmjow chuckled, gazing up at the pillar of ice that had sprouted from the spot where he had been ready to fire a _Gran Rey Cero_. Soifon nodded beside him, crossing her arms and kicking a piece of the shattered Tsukishiro into a gaggle of watermelons, causing them to fall like dominoes unable to resist the Soukatsui that followed. "They're paying attention to where we're looking," she said sourly, frowning at the sight of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi annihilating a vast swarm of Hollows. "I realize that all we have to do is not come in last but I don't know if it's because I've been hanging around you but I really want to win this."

"Can't agree with you more," her blue-haired counterpart responded. "Don't look but there's a big number comin' up at your nine."

"How should we do this? That attack you did earlier should take care of it."

"Actually," Grimmjow began slyly. "It happens to be a nice group where no one else is around so I was thinking Bankai." Soifon's eyes narrowed. She didn't want to use it even if Suzumebachi had been telling her to ever since she had been insulted.

_But I can show that cocky bastard what I can do and the explosion shouldn't be that big with the limiter on…_

Mind made up, she resigned herself to what was probably a very bad idea. "Fine, I'll need you to hold me."

"Are you scared of it or something? Why the hell do you need me to hold you?"

Soifon ran her hand down her face and suppressed the laugh that threatened to escape her mouth. "I need you to brace me so I don't end up in another country, idiot." She muttered, her breath hitching when cold steely skin pressed against her back and two ashen arms encircled her waist, creating a cross of serrated edges in front of her. "Good enough," came the distorted voice behind her. "Yeah."

_It's strange…_

_Even when he's like this, I'm attracted to him._

_**I gotta hand it to you. Even I like this one and I hate men plus you're less of a bitch now that you have a hot boyfriend.**_

_I don't believe I asked to hear your stand on this._

_**Shut up and release me already.**_

"Fucking sword," Soifon swore under her breath. "Bankai!"

Grimmjow whistled in approbation as Suzumebachi glowed a bright yellow and multiplied its size twentyfold into its true form: a large missile-like device attached to a metal support complete with face mask. "Jakuhou Raikouben."

"Well doesn't this make me feel inadequate."

"Shut it and watch out for the backdraft when I fire this. Now where are they coming from exactly?"

Subtly, Grimmjow pointed to her left a ways back where indeed no one was currently engaging any Hollows. "Got it," Soifon confirmed, raising her Bankai to the designated sight. "You might want to close your eyes, it will be _very_ bright," she advised, peering through the shield and adjusting her aim slightly. "I'll deal with it, woman. Now hurry up and shoot." She didn't need to be told twice. Soifon hit the internal trigger and felt the missile take off with a hiss as her arm rocked backwards from the recoil.

It was slow at first, building up speed as the thrust increased and deploying stabilizers to keep it steady during flight. The target was a peaceful stretch of land where gentle waves lapped placidly against the shore near a palm forest that rustled languidly in the salty afternoon breeze. All of it blissfully unaware that it was about to be violated by an emergence of laboratory-bred monster watermelons and then blown to hell until said watermelons crawled out from the underground and looked up just in time to see what caused the gigaton explosion that erased them from existence.

"Fuck, that's not really what I was expecting out of your Bankai," Grimmjow howled, echoing insane laughter while reinforcing his feet with reiatsu to provide enough drag to slow him down after the mammoth blast sent him, the woman in his arms, and a few unlucky others skidding across the dunes. "I don't think I want to fight against it anymore," he added, stirring up a sense of satisfaction in his superior.

Soifon sealed her Zanpakuto after seeing that no more carnage was to be had; all the Hollows that had yet to be slain were already halfway there. After all, five thousand melons was a small number to eleven teams of two of the Gotei Thirteen's elite. Instead, she focused her attention on the settling dust and observed the lagoon she had made from her crater.

"No definition of excessive force to be had in Second Division," Nel giggled, trotting over to the two with Yachiru pretending to steer with her horns. "Showed you up just fine with it," Grimmjow retorted, ruffling Soifon's hair for emphasis which earned him an elbow to the stomach that did about as much as you would expect rain to do to the sun. "Maybe I'd be in your position if I had my _Segunda Etapa_," the centaur huffed, examining the remnants of the creatures that littered the landscape.

"Like _Gamuza_ would ever let you have it," Grimmjow denounced too softly for her to hear.

His sidetrack reached an abrupt end when a light object plopped onto his head and began playing with his ears. "The hell do you want, brat?"

"You're really strong, kitty-chan," the pinkette stated gleefully, letting go of Grimmjow's twitching ears when his tail wrapped around her stomach and brought her around to his face. "Don't call me that," he groused, shaking Yachiru onto Nel's mask after she bit his tail. "You gotta meet Ken-chan when we get back, kay?" She chirped, making Soifon's blood run cold. In her mind, if there were to people who should never meet they would be Zaraki Kenpachi and Grimmjow Jeagerjaques: the two halves of the apocalypse. "Who the hell is Ken-chan?"

"Don't worry about it," Soifon growled, dragging Grimmjow over to where the other competitors were gathering, ordering him to revert to his unreleased state along the way.

"After counting each point individually," Nemu started, "It's evident which team has won this competition."

Grimmjow and Soifon mirrored each other's confident smirk.

"Team Kuchiki."

Well that wasn't really what they'd been expecting at all. In fact, they were outraged. "How do you figure that?" the Arrancar bellowed, storming right up to the girl as Rukia cheered and Byakuya impassively reveled in his victory. "Shall I read the point totals," the robotic Vice-Captain offered, earning an immediate go-ahead.

_Grimmjow and Soifon: 726_

_Renji and Hisagi: 403_

_Yoruichi and Rangiku: 642_

_Starrk and Lilynette: 407_

_Isane and Toushiro: 435_

_Byakuya and Rukia: 721_

_Shunsui and Nanao: 559_

_Nel and Yachiru: 550_

_Juushirou and Kiyone: 539 _

"We got five more than them. Did that clown in make-up break your head?"

"Now, now. There's no reason to be so upset," Unohana chided from her spot next to Nemu, her voice carrying the undercurrents of indisputable authority. "I believe I told you during the meeting you attended that any irreversible damage inflicted upon the property we rented would result in the disqualification of those responsible in S.W.A. activities. Perhaps you should stay awake next time, hm?"

Grimmjow felt like banging his head against a wall. He'd gone all out and came out on top only to be barred from winning by a technicality that he didn't know existed. And the worst part was that he couldn't even be angry with the tone the healer's voice had taken to tell him that he lost. Instead, he decided to pass his irritation onto someone who had always lifted his spirits when she got annoyed. "This is all your fault, you know?" He watched the disbelief in his Captain's face melt into rage and ran away screaming half-joking apologies as she chased after him.

"So does this mean that they lost?" Hisagi asked hopefully, ducking under a stray Byakurai.

"No, they are just out of the competition. It seems Ninth Division will be busy this month," Unohana replied, frowning when the color drained from Renji and Hisagi's faces. "Maybe you should sit down."

* * *

Hours passed and the moon now held dominion over the cloudless sky, bathing the party of beachgoers in pale silver light as they entered the Surf Shack. The group had decided to spend their final night exploring the town and so they were out to retrieve the proper equipment that a certain shopkeeper had graciously supplied to blend in with the transient world.

With a clack that resonated throughout the entire structure, Unohana slid open the shoji doors of the storage space and was taken aback by what she was greeted with on the other side. "Urahara-san certainly has his unique ways of delivering things," she sighed, gazing at the many Gigai positioned next to each other in positions too lewd for even the resident perverts to find humor in. "That's disturbing," Toushiro amended, thanking the heavens that he'd gotten away with nothing but some black lines etched onto his faux body's face. "Looks like he only did what he thought he could get away with," Yoruichi muttered, shouldering her mint condition double and exiting the room. "Even made it convenient for me." Grimmjow shrugged and hauled away the rope connecting his and Soifon's Gigai.

"So where are you thinkin' about going?" The azure-haired Vice-Captain asked the anamorphic woman while the two of them changed into human clothes with the few others who hadn't any modesty or needed to adjust their appearances. "Bar?" Yoruichi offered, smoothing out the tasteful red blouse that she was wearing to compliment her skin tone. "Sounds good. What about you three?" Grimmjow looked over his shoulder from the mirror, momentarily stopping the examination of his black button-up and matching slacks.

"Sure," Starrk agreed, gaining approval from Lilynette and fixing his Shunsui-esque hat and yellow floral kimono over the casual white ensemble underneath.

"We always have fun together so I may as well," Nel said, lifting up her hair and watching it tumble down in her reflection. "I can do so much more with it without my mask."

"I know what you mean," Lilynette chimed, tucking her loose ends in place and posing in front of the Acting Captain. "I think I look weird," Starrk murmured, rubbing the flesh in his sternum where his mask and hole should have been. The former-_Sexta _grunted in concurrence, thumbing over the tanned skin of his jaw. "Ready? I need to get Cross Dresser, Tree Lady, Sixty-Nine, Pineapple-Taicho, and Snowy."

"Yeah."

The quintet then departed, leaving the shack behind and approaching the path leading from the beach to the city where two shapes were waiting patiently in the dusky shadows of the swaying palms. "But what do we do with these two?"

Unlike Shinigami, Arrancar did not take their weapons with them when they used Gigai and that left _Pantera _and _Gamuza_ stranded from their masters. "Fuck, guess he can just come with us. He'll bitch if I leave him here or carry him around all night," Grimmjow said in a defeated tone, casting an empathetic glance over to Nel who was in a worse crisis. "He'll be lonely if I just leave him here and he's still mad at me for forgetting all about him because I lost my memory…I guess I'll just have to hold onto him."

"It'll look like you're carrying an invisible stick around though." The woman pouted and mentally begged her spirit to materialize. "She isn't going to get anywhere between now and when we go," Starrk mumbled, glad that his other half was a permanent solution to this sort of thing.

Meanwhile in her tent, Soifon secured her black halter top and wiggled into a skirt of the same color that held a length that would have made the old her blush at the mention of it. Ready as she could pull off in such a short amount of time, she walked out the canvas flap, her sandals leaving dainty imprints in the moon-chilled sand. In her mind, she had made herself look damn good and she hoped she had gained an edge in the nonstop game she had been playing against her lover ever since they first met. And she was not disappointed judging by how Grimmjow's eyes roved over her form hungrily when she met up with him and the party she'd be traveling with for the evening.

_He doesn't look so bad himself. Did he actually clean up for me?_

Of course her definition of cleaning up was much different for Grimmjow Jeagerjaques when compared to other men. His hair still stuck out at odd angles and his eyes held the usual cockiness and barely concealed lust she had come to expect but whoever had dressed him had done one hell of a job. He had thrown on clean, pressed shirt that contoured his muscles perfectly with one button undone at the top of course. And the rest…her attention to detail took a turn for the depraved and it would have taken something truly shocking to snap her out of it.

"Ah, you look radiant as always, Shaolin," A gravelly voice purred from behind her, causing her to spin around and spot a black panther sitting on its haunches. She was speechless, not because she was confronted with a talking cat, she'd experienced more than enough of that but because she knew what the sleek feline in front of her really was from the similarity of his reiatsu to Grimmjow's. "But how?"

"Total materialization comes naturally to Arrancar, Soifon-Taicho," Kyouraku explained, still adorned with his hat and kimono for whatever reason he had. "What would take us six hours or so of meditation takes them about six seconds provided that both ends cooperate with one another unlike our Nel-chan." Being referenced to like that didn't do much to help the sea-foam haired hybrid's mild depression any. "Long story short: _Pantera's _comin' with us so let's hurry up and go already. I want to watch the humans trip over him," Grimmjow yammered, plucking his guitar case he had taken along and gesturing to the direction of the populated stretch of the shore.

Much to his satisfaction, the group complied and left him, Soifon, and _Pantera_ to take up the rear which was his goal from the beginning. If he was out of sight then he could grope as much as he wanted to…if he could move past the initial stage of just looking at his Commander.

_Is she wearing lipstick?_

Soifon was in a similar position although she had found a moderate reprieve by stroking the head of the jaguar accompanying them, eliciting a content rumble. They did look damn good in black, she had to admit. "So…he's just going to wander off or what?" She inquired, hoping to break the tense silence. "Of course not," _Pantera_ answered, seemingly insulted by the assumption. "I came out to get a drink." Dumbfounded, the petite woman could only reply with a surprised "oh". "He means milk," Grimmjow explained. "I can't even imagine that bastard drunk."

"It might loosen my inhibitions to claw your face after partaking in that senseless fight yesterday," the Zanpakuto parried, not missing a beat.

"Keep talking, fucking bipolar sword. You were having fun and you know it."

And she thought Suzumebachi gave her a hard time.

**…………………………………**

At the bar, a beach-themed establishment that was used to attracting the most diverse of Japan's patrons during the summer nights, the vacationers pushed a host of tables together in a corner and began what was to be a night of unrivaled drunkenness.

"I asked if ya got any milk and a bowl," Grimmjow barked, ignoring the strange looks the bartender and several other humans were giving him. "No but we do carry Irish Cream if that's alright," the staff member, a reasonably tolerant woman in her mid-twenties, suggested. When all she got in return was a blank expression, she elaborated. "It's whiskey with milk-based cream. I'm sure a big guy like you can handle it just fine but I wouldn't give it to your pet if that's what this is about."

_Pantera_ wasn't anybody's 'pet' and he let her know with an ice cube to her temple courtesy of an empty drink on the bar. "What the? Dick!" She shouted to no one in particular. "I swear if I wasn't exposed to this sort of stuff teaching High School as my second job, I'd have gone crazy."

"I feel for ya, lady. I had to sleep in the basement of a candy store for six months, getting shit thrown at me every day," the Arrancar sympathized, mentally laughing at his sword's antics. "No kidding? Hell, I'll give you a freebie for that," the bartender chortled, pulling out three shot glasses in addition to several bottles of the aforementioned Cream plus bowl. "One for you, two for me." Grimmjow was starting to like this person. "Drink it fast, handsome." He did so and started off his bender with a bang. "What's your name lady? I'll need something to call you by when I get to the point where I'm so fucked up that you'll need to bring my drinks over to me."

"Ochi Misato."

"First name basis?"

"I'm buzzed enough, sure."

"Alright Misato." Grimmjow clapped his hands together. "I'll need about seven jugs of chilled sake, a bottle of bottom-shelf Tequila, and a bunch of shot glasses to start things off for me and my friends over there in the corner." Misato got to work, grabbing everything without looking and loading it up on a tray but when her new associate reached for it, she pulled it back tauntingly. "Hold on, never got your name. I'll need something to yell when I tell you to get the fuck out after you've had too much."

"Grimmjow Jeagerjaques"

_Weird name…probably one of those punks Kurosaki hangs out with._

"Alright, first rounds here," Rangiku proclaimed excitedly, hopping up from her seat to help her friend with the first of many distributions. While she was doing that, Soifon took the liberty of taking the bowl and bottle that was handed to her and poured the contents into the basin; setting it down next to the wall so _Pantera_ wouldn't disturb anyone while he drank what she recognized was alcohol. "Delicious," the spirit purred, nuzzling her leg and evoking a giggle from the normally publicly reserved Captain. "Ya like that, eh?" Grimmjow sniggered, popping open his own bottle and taking an eager gulp. "Fuck, that is good!" He declared, passing a third container of Irish Cream to Yoruichi. "Try this Cat Lady." Having nothing to lose, the goddess did as she was commanded and fell in love. "Its…its milk _and_ alcohol! This is amazing!"

Life was good. Grimmjow had combined sex and fighting and now he had milk and alcohol. Now he just needed a way to combine all four of those things.

_Shaolin's been proving adventurous lately, maybe she's up for an experiment. _

"So who's in the preliminary match?" Nel questioned, taking the light road with Soifon and watching her consumption. "Me and Shunsui," Starrk asserted, tugging off his kimono and hat and placing it in an opaque plastic bag he brought with him. "It's been a week since I lost that bet and we've agreed to go again tonight."

"Pistols or sabers?" Kyouraku requisitioned, rubbing his hands together in preparation. "Tequila," Grimmjow announced, slamming the bottle on the table and manifesting an equal share of shot glasses for both opponents. "Same rules then?"

"Hold out your hand flat, drink a shot, and stack the glass on top. First one to drop a glass loses. Got it?"

"Understood," the competitors uttered simultaneously, locked in the laziest staring match that anyone at the table had ever seen. "How long has this ridiculous game been going on between the two of them?" Soifon queried, reaching down to fiddle around with _Pantera's _tail. "Since the end of the war," Grimmjow spoke from under the table, pulling his guitar up and balancing it on his knees. "Any requests, Shaolin?" Soifon seemed lost; she didn't know a thing about his type of music.

"How's your Flamenco?" Ukitake questioned.

"Pretty good."

"That will do."

The game was on and Soifon was starting to notice that she no longer detested these sorts of gatherings anymore. In fact, she was enjoying herself sitting next to Grimmjow, listening to rich Latin notes float from his fingers and loosening up a little with her sake intake. And every so often, he would run his hands along her exposed thighs when he was changing melodies or pausing for a drink, producing pleasurable shivers that tickled her sensitive skin. She even joined the others in a fit of laughter when Kyouraku's glasses toppled off his hand and he was forced to don a pink poncho and sombrero for the next week. Indeed, she didn't know if it was what she drank or if she was changing but either way, she was finally having fun socializing.

"Next round?"

"The main event," Rangiku cheered. "Me versus Grimm and like every defending champion, I'll allow the contender to pick the stakes."

"Loser goes naked the rest of the-fuck!" Grimmjow swore, cursing the fact that his Gigai wasn't very resistant against the pummeling of his superior after she'd struck him hard under the table. "Reputation only since neither of us is probably going to remember what we have to do anyway," he proposed, scowling at the disheartened look Rangiku returned him with. "Fine but I get to choose the drink then," she puffed, sending a saucer his way and setting one down for herself. "Traditional drink with traditional rules: first one to drop, throw up, or tap out loses."

"Don't do it," Hisagi admonished. "She's unbeatable, trust me. She keeps it all in her breasts." Refusing to heed the words of wisdom, Grimmjow picked up his dish and tapped it against his fellow Vice Captain's. "May the best tolerance win." He then swiveled over to Soifon and met steely black orbs with ice blue. "Wish me luck, beautiful."

The Second Squad Captain rolled her eyes and circled around the table visually. The pink faces looking back at her all seemed to expect her to follow through. Starrk slowed his current tune on the guitar he had inherited from winning his bet and _Pantera _put his paws up on the table to get a closer view. Soifon closed her eyes and smiled. "Good luck, Grimmjow."

So began the greatest conflict since the Winter War and it commenced in favor of Aizen's seceded forces.

"You know what your weakness is, Tree Lady?" Grimmjow downed his sake and propped his chin up on his arms, smirking across the table at his adversary who was a little worse for wear. "You can drink more than any woman I've ever met but you get drunk too fast." It was true, while he was the image of sobriety five minutes into the game, she was already flushed. "Shut up," Rangiku slurred, accidentally knocking several of the empty bottles next to her down to the ground.

"She going to be alright?" Misato, having replaced her post with another staff member to come and watch, asked in concern. "Her?" Hisagi chuckled. "She'll be just fine." The bartender was skeptical but otherwise said no more; the people she was presiding over all seemed to know each other well. "How about you move to shots then. These two are going to get full before one of them loses. And what about you, Grimmjow? How are you doing?"

"He hasn't started speaking Spanish yet so he's not drunk," Starrk said out from his place against the wall, tuning his guitar for Tango. "And I'll pour if you're moving back to Tequila." Everyone faced Rangiku, waiting for her consent. She simply teetered back and forth on her seat for a moment before replying. "I don' care, I can beat 'im." The former _Primera_ set down his instrument and gratefully took the fresh set of glasses from Misato.

"That is definitely not sake," Renji commented after stealing one of the shots. He hadn't drank it fast enough and he felt like his throat was burning. "No its not. Its one hundred proof," Misato corrected, clearly impressed with the speed and consistency Grimmjow and Rangiku were tipping up their glasses for fifteen straight minutes until the latter wobbled uneasily and fell against the table with a loud thud.

"Unbelievable," Hisagi gasped, mimicking the gaping stares around the group and prodding the Tenth Division officer to make sure she was down and out. "The end of a great reign," Kyouraku reflected, patting the unconscious, snoring woman on the back as he inspected the victor's condition. "Grimmjow…are you okay."

The man in question was too busy being riveted to Soifon to hear the senior Captain's concern and said woman was too busy blushing under the intense heat of his eyes to follow up on it. "Shaolin," Grimmjow whispered huskily, trailing his hand under her skirt and coming to a stop once he hit home, generating a jolt of surprise amongst other things.

"Mi querida! Quiero que usted aguante a mis niños!" He cried, tackling her to the floor and sending the Arrancar around him into a torrent of roaring laughter. "What the fuck did he just say to me?" Soifon shrieked, beating her drunken lover off of her and retreating behind Yoruichi.

"He said," Nel wheezed, breaking into another fit before she could finish. "His speech is all screwed up but…" More laughter. "Something about him wanting you to bear his children."

Soifon froze and felt her face heat up to a record high as the entire room now burst into uncontrollable mirth.

**…………………………………..**

"That was the most embarrassed I've ever been in my life."

"Sorry, I didn't know that body took so little." Grimmjow apologized, finding reprieve from thinking about the event that led to a tremendous beating he's endured only an hour ago by looking up at the moon.

The two, in addition to _Pantera,_ had shed their Gigai and sat at the end of highly-trafficked pier outside of the barrier of the S.W.A.'s property to escape from the inebriated game of hide and seek the rest of the group had created after splitting the tab and leaving the bar.

"Hey, Shaolin. I've been wondering something."

"It'd better not be about children," Soifon growled, kicking her legs over the end of the dock and enjoying the seasonal midnight air. "Nah, I was just wondering if you think I'm a monster" The leader of the Onmitsukido tilted her head over to him wearily, stroking _Pantera's_ back all the while. "Where is this coming from?" She inquired, lost in the act of playing with the panther's ears. Grimmjow just stared at her.

_It's a good thing I brought him along or she'd still be pissed…the hell's her fetish with black cats anyway?_

"Something those Kuchiki people were going on about yesterday. Come on, I want an unbiased opinion. Do you think I'm a monster?" He explained, batting her face with his spirit's tail, earning a smile for his effort. "Based on what? What you are or how you act?"

"In general."

"No." Soifon said in certainty. "You may be a rude blood-lusting pervert but a far cry from a monster, I assure you. Kuchiki-Taicho and Fukutaicho have very skewed vision when it comes to you so I wouldn't pay any mind to what they say. You have honor and you have morals even if you try to hide both and those won't disappear no matter how much wild power you obtain like you showed me today. And," she started, petting _Pantera_ for emphasis. "If you were a monster, you wouldn't have such a docile sword, would you?"

"Docile?" Grimmjow repeated in disbelief, shaking his head at the thought of attributing that word to his weapon. He was quiet after that, listening to the surf slapping against the pylons and the distant conversations being had further down the pier. "Thanks."

Soifon lifted the corners of her mouth and said nothing, opting instead to look out at the stars.

"Such a beautiful rainless night," _Pantera_ rumbled, swinging his tail side to side in placidity.

**

* * *

**

Omake:

Yes, he was enjoying his new evolution and he was making it evident with every barrage of bright blue sickles, volley of darts, and set of lightning-fast slashes from the jagged weapons adorning his limbs.

A cloud of sakura petals soon changed that, washing over his next enemy leaving nothing but the lingering sweet scent of what had been there only a fraction of a second before.

"Whoa, whoa. Wait just one fucking minute," Grimmjow shouted, catching Byakuya by surprise by appearing in front of him with a buzz of _sonido_ and pushing him challengingly hard on the shoulder. "Did you just summon a bunch of those fruity pink blades in one turn?" He demanded in a tone of pure confrontation. "So what?" The noble shot back, smoothing over his hair. "That's against the rules isn't it?"

"Screw the rules I have money!"

**^^^I will love you forever if you know where this reference is from.**

**Important: If you are interested in that 'long story' of how Starrk got so strong, go and read the two-shot that evolved from 'How I got My Tattoo' called 'How We Found Our Place'. Some of the things in there will be referenced to in here so I recommend you check it out. And I've selected a theme song for this story as absurd as that sounds.**

**Diamonds by Los Lonely Boys remove the spaces before and after the . com**

**youtube . com/watch?v=nSPGeEmoIQE **

**Author's Note: My power was out and a tree fell on my goddamn house but I still love this snow. On top of that, I wasn't able to build up enough motivation to put some love into this chapter unfortunately. Looking over it, I can tell that it suffered…maybe I should get a beta. That might be a good idea since I've been thinking about a sequel with *gasp* plot in it. **

**Anyyyyyway, have you all noticed that quite a number of people show bleach characters in their past lives as living in modern times? What's up with that? They're all much older than that and sometimes people do it to those who were born in Soul Society like Soifon and Byakuya; it's weird. In other news: I love Bailey's…I really do. Rangiku's nickname: Tree Lady stems from the 'Matsu' in her surname which means pine tree just to keep you in the loop.**

**Reader Response! (after I forgot to do it last time…) Oh…huh…not many questions this time around but I guess that means I'm explaining things better or my story is about as deep as a puddle in a desert. So I'll just say thank you for all the praise and I hope you all continue to review!**

**Press that button down there and drop me a line.**


	14. Panther About Town

"You're going where?"

"Around," Grimmjow repeated, his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his bone-white hakama as he surveyed the line leading into the Senkaimon that was laid open next to him.

"And where exactly is around? I won't have you causing trouble in the Living World the day before you're officially sworn in as my Fukutaicho," Soifon admonished coldly, her eyes steeled in an attempt to appear taller than her lover: a man who was easily a full head above her.

He had been playing this game non-stop for ten minutes now and it had grown irritating within the first sixty seconds. Allegedly, he and the other Arrancar were tagging along with Yoruichi to parade around Karakura with no ulterior motive. And it would have been easy to believe that had he not proven to be an avatar of mischief that left emotional and physical destruction behind him time and time again.

"Well," the hybrid began, pausing to wave off Kyouraku who still hadn't adjusted to wearing his pink poncho and sombrero yet much to Nanao's infinite amusement. "First I gotta take that barrier back to Kisuke and I'll probably have a drink or two over there." Soifon frowned. The last thing she wanted was for the two of them to spend time together. There was no telling what kind of ideas the depraved shop owner would give her subordinate. "Then I was thinkin' about checking up on some friends of mine that I haven't seen in a while."

"Friends?"

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes. "What?! You think I'm meeting up with some trash to fuck behind your back or something?" He interrogated, earning a smack for his volume that was returned with a playful nip at the petite officer's neck that forced a giggle to escape from her lips.

"No, I have enough faith in you to avoid those sorts of thoughts unless my faith happens to be misguided…" Soifon left the sentence hanging, dripping with a venom that made her Shikai look tame.

Her bedmate wasn't fazed in the slightest. "You're overestimating humans if you think one of them can live through a round with me," He stated arrogantly, observing the end of the line disappear into the portal. "You'd better hurry, beautiful. My date might think I ain't coming." His superior merely rolled her eyes and said a chaste goodbye, motioning to leave before Grimmjow caught her hand and lifted her up to his face where he crushed his mouth against hers. He heard her take a sharp intake of breath through her nose upon impact and felt her lips part in surprise: an opportunity he seized by sliding his tongue through the opening and roughly mingling with hers.

Eventually, Soifon relaxed into the kiss, meeting the Vice-Captain's rhythmic movements eagerly and draping her arms around him to grasp a fistful of the azure silk that was his hair. A full minute passed and they parted, eyes half-lidded and still joined by a gossamer strand of pink saliva that the female assassin hazily identified as blood drawn from a puncture wound on her lip.

"Now you weren't really thinking about going before showing me exactly why you don't have to worry about me chasing after human girls, were you?" Grimmjow breathed huskily against the sensitive flesh of her neck.

"Must have slipped my mind, Arrancar." Soifon responded sultrily, stealing back a dab of crimson fluid from the edge of her Second in Command's mouth.

"Don't let it happen again, Shinigami." Grimmjow warned half-heartedly as he set his woman back down just in time for her to blush furiously at Yoruichi's cat calls coupled with a snapshot from the camera that Nel had found inside the Surf Shack earlier in the morning. "Better get going, Shaolin. Looks like the sun's getting to ya."

He watched her go with a laugh at how she indignantly stuck her chin up and strolled regally through the Senkai Gate.

"Gotta love her."

"You about ready to go," Starrk called over from his position in the shade of a tall palm that swayed lazily in the late morning breeze. Getting a nod of confirmation from his friend, he uncrossed his arms and kicked against the trunk to put himself upright. "Alright then, you three go ahead and do whatever it is you're going to do. It's too damn hot to walk all around town today. Lilynette and I are going to see Rose and the others so try to meet up with us before we drink too much and can't play anymore." Pulling his other half along, he started along the path leading from the beach to civilization.

"Bye Coyote~. Bye Lily-Chan!" Yoruichi yelled unnecessarily loud, causing the two objects of her farewell to spin around and gaze at her in disdain.

"See you in a bit." Nel waved.

"Later, Wolf Boy. You too, Gingerbitch."

"Don't call me that!"

* * *

One abnormally painful kick to the shin later: a trio of odd hair colors entered the front door of a candy store and immediately shifted into a state of confusion upon being greeted by the sounds of panting and what sounded like two animals fighting each other in a cage. Making their way past the counter, they entered the adjacent living room that doubled as an impromptu meeting chamber and openly displayed their reactions toward the source of the aforementioned disturbance.

"You started it without me!"

"How the hell did you film this?"

"I'm having difficulty figuring out whether I'm disgusted or entertained by this. Either way, I'm finding myself unable to look away."

There in his chair was Urahara Kisuke with a saucer of warm sake, looking intently at the television set in front of him that displayed the intimate affairs of two Second Division officers that took place over the S.W.A. sponsored beach outing. "Ah." The flamboyant shopkeeper cried ecstatically, rising from his chair to greet the newcomers. "I felt you coming so I booted it up. I just didn't anticipate the lack of foreplay. Come, sit down and watch." He gestured to the chairs adorning the otherwise sparsely furnished area and sat back down only when the three seated themselves comfortably. "Congratulations on your success, Grimmjow. And by the way, I took the liberty of attaching a canister of microscopic airborne cameras to the Covert Ops barrier I lent you. You can watch from approximately eleven thousand eight hundred and twenty angles but I haven't tried that feature out yet; I was waiting for you to do the honors."

Grimmjow was impressed. "I'm not even going to ask how you knew that only the perverted part of our group was coming to visit today," he snickered, trading the cylindrical device he had borrowed for a special remote that enabled him to switch cameras. "This'd be a great present for the Old Man when I'm sworn in tomorrow."

"It would make great gifts, ne?" Urahara mused whimsically. "I think Kurosaki-san has a birthday next month. This might give him some initiative when it comes to Orihime-chan."

"Did you make my copy yet? I need it for the S.W.A. meeting tom-"

Grimmjow cut off Yoruichi with a finger pressed against her lips. "Watch this," he ordered, pointing to the television and breaking into howling laughter when he saw the expression on Soifon's face when he broke her Bakudou and sank his fangs into her neck. "Isn't that fucking great?"

"Who knew my little bee had so much blood," the anamorphic woman wondered aloud, stealing the remote from the man beside her and toying with the zoom buttons. "She looks so happy. No wonder she looked like she was floating the next day until you had to fight Byakuya-bo."

"Who won?" Urahara inquired off-handedly as he distributed cups of sake amongst his fellow deviants.

"Our dear Kitty-chan did thanks to…what does Central Forty-Six call it again…release AR-2?" pondered Yoruichi airily, drawing loose circles in the lining of her chair and ignoring the offended 'tch' she received from Grimmjow.

"Oh my, _Segunda Etapa_," the flamboyant blonde elaborated, overjoyed at the scientific possibilities that awaited him not to mention the priceless look Mayuri would give him when he found out that he got to a new subject first. "And you acquired it on vacation? How interesting! Now can I have just one teeny blood sample?" He chimed, holding his thumb and index finger a miniscule distance away from each other in front of his eye.

"Hell no and I'm surprised you didn't get any samples while you were taping this," Grimmjow answered in a tone lacking any flexibility on the matter whatsoever, readying his elbow if the scientist happened to persist which fortunately for him he didn't and instead resumed his earlier activity. "I need to get at least ten copies of this," he added, enjoying his performance with a glimmer of nostalgia in his eyes.

"That's fine; I have plenty in all formats."

"This is getting kind of gross…not to mention weird," Nel interrupted, shifting uncomfortably in her furniture but nevertheless keeping her vision glued to the screen.

"Now now, we're all friends here, Nel-chan."

"She's just saying that 'cause she's a virgin," the resident head of blue hair declared, eliciting a distinct sound of intrigue followed by a smile that was quickly hidden from view by a fan. This did not go unnoticed. "Don't get any ideas, Candyman. No way in hell am I going to let her spend a night with you." Urahara looked like he couldn't believe what he'd just been accused of, evident by his hand clasped to his chest and the hurt expression on his face.

"Why I would never think any impure thoughts about our darling Nel-chan," He gasped; flicking his fan back up so only his shaded pupils could be seen beneath his trademark hat. Grimmjow glared at him in scrutiny while Nel's mouth was formed into a tiny 'o', thanking the heavens that her Hollow marking covered up the blush dusting her cheeks.

"Good."

The ex-Captain let out a relieved breath and took a long sip from his saucer. He couldn't help but wonder what had sparked the surge of protectiveness he had fallen victim to.

Just then, the shoji doors at the front of the shop opened and the rest of the shop's staff filtered casually into the living room while the four established occupants observed their entrance impassively. They kicked off their shoes and hung up objects akin to sporting equipment in the closet embedded in the side of the room before the sounds from the television piqued the interest of the present children and they turned to see what all the on-screen commotion was about. "The baseball game ended earlier than expected, Manager." Tessai informed his boss, oblivious to the situation entirely.

"Hey, Grimmjow." Jinta accosted, plopping down with a tired sigh next to the man he had come to idolize during the time he had spent in the shop after the war was over. "The Manager didn't say anything about you comin' over today. I would've skipped that game if I'd known you'd be here watching horror movies." When all he got in return for his complaint was an incredibly wide smirk, he swiveled over to Ururu and raised his crimson eyebrows at the sight of her eyes wide open and gaping. "What's wrong with you?"

Nel and Yoruichi exchanged mirthful glances, both knowing that the top was ready to blow any second now. "This is just wrong," the former whispered, getting a final sip of sake in and readying herself for a sprint which was a good idea because Tessai finished his conversation with a rather nervous Urahara and laid eyes on the television just in time for the climax of the film.

"SHIELD YOUR EYES CHILDREN!"

"I am fucking out of here."

* * *

"I think we can stop running now," Nel panted, coming to a halt and crouching in fatigue on the sidewalk. "I hope Yoru-chan is okay back there."

"She'll be alright," Grimmjow remarked calmly, throwing the copies of his sex tape he had seized on his way out the shop into his guitar case. "Kisuke's gonna be the one taking the blame, you can trust me on that. Besides, Cat Lady can outrun that guy with one leg." He wiped the sweat from his forehead, cursing the heat as a man with a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth bumped into what he thought was an invisible object next to a floating case and let the burning cylinder fall from his lips before walking briskly away. "You alright down there, Nelliel?"

"He kicked my horn!"

"I can shoot him with a _bala_," the elder Arrancar offered to the pouting woman, inspecting the cigarette as she picked herself up and dusted herself off. "I keep seeing Humans with these things but I don't know what they are," he admitted gruffly, tapping his boot against the smoking end.

"Smells gross," Nel commented dismissively, bringing her finger to her chin. "Want to go see Ichigo?"

"Sure."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kurosaki Ichigo was the epitome of a modern teenager; sitting on his bed, studiously engaged in schoolwork with his headphones blasting enough bass to nearly shake the foundation of his house. All was well. He finished his current paper, signed it, and dated it June Seventeenth before opting to take a well-deserved break by resting his arm on the nearby windowsill and turning to meet an ivory jaw next to a cartoonish skull right beside his head, poking through the window and gleaming in the hot afternoon sun.

"You _really_ suck at sensing reiatsu."

"Gah! What the hell is wrong with you?!" He shouted, flailing about to try and keep himself atop his mattress.

"Hey~" Nel said in mock hurt, sticking out her bottom lip cutely. "We haven't seen you for almost three weeks so we decided to see what you were up to and this is how we're greeted? What a rude boy you are." She swung her legs gracefully into the bedroom and hopped down onto the bed while Grimmjow, avoiding the bed altogether, took a less graceful approach and dived into the house. Ichigo just sighed and said his 'hello' before returning to his homework which he now had to do with the added bonus of Nel peering over his book. "What are you doing?"

"Work," the carrot top informed the two Arrancar dispassionately, earning a pair of sour faces at the mention of any sort of paper that needed filling out. "So…how are you getting along with Soul Society?"

"It's great! Me an Kira-kun have been having been having lots of fun and I joined a club that took me to the beach. You should've come, Ichigo. We made sandcastles and played music and we ate watermelons…but most of them were either burned or frozen because we had to kill them first," the Third Division's Acting Captain blurted, causing a small smile to appear on the Substitute's face.

"Sounds like you're not running into any problems. That's good," Ichigo said sincerely, shifting attention to the real concern which happened to be currently charging a _cero_ at the stuffed lion that had insulted his hair. "What about you? I'll tell you right now, I won't believe you if you say you haven't had some trouble."

Grimmjow diffused the red energy gathering at the center of his palm and tossed Kon back into his drawer. "Nothin' too bad. Fought a bunch of people, only one Taicho though, been fucking my Commanding Officer, getting drunk, you know?"

It took a while for that information to sink in.

"I don't think Soifon-Taicho would appreciate you telling him that."

"Who's he gonna tell besides people who already know?"

"Shut up!" Ichigo hollered, burying his blush in the confines of his textbook. "Talk about that stuff somewhere else."

"While we're on the subject," Grimmjow started, not missing a beat. He walked with a wide gait over to his friendly rival and gazed down at him with a wicked grin. "How're you and your woman? Show her around yet?" The Arrancar's smile widened when Ichigo put down his schoolwork and glared at him intensely despite Nel's attempts to calm him down by dragging the panther away from him.

"Orihime isn't that kind of girl," he snarled.

"Oh? No wonder you're so uptight. You've had to suffer through half a year of chastity with her bouncing around you." Grimmjow broke into a carnal smirk, resting one hand on his sword at the notion of conflict. "C'mon Kurosaki, I want to fight your _Resurreccion_. I want to show you what a real _Vasto Lorde_ looks like." He unsheathed _Pantera_ and never saw what hit him as a mask-covered head of seafoam hair bashed his skull. "Ugh…"

Nel stood above him triumphantly, her hand on her hip as she wagged her finger in front of his face and sat back down on the bed to share Ichigo's amusement. "Don't listen to him. He's just trying to get a rise out of you because he's been itching to fight everything he sees ever since he achieved _Segunda Etapa_." The Strawberry's face paled at that revelation. Grimmjow was bad enough with one release; he didn't want to think about him with a second especially if all his stories about how his true power was suppressed were true.

"Maybe some other time, I have a date in half an hour."

The Vice-Captain swore under his breath while he got to his feet. "Figures, that's the only reason I came over here. Well…that and to see if you've heard anything from your imaginary friend yet," He grumbled, pointing to his head.

The other hybrids perked up at that and Ichigo wrapped up his final paper. Setting his work aside, his features became pensive as he reflected on the memories of him and Nel overloading the Hougyoku which resulted in the total subjugation of his Inner Hollow and the repair of her mask. "No, I can't even feel him anymore and Zangetsu says that he's been completely separated from him so he doesn't know either." He cracked a smile and folded his arms behind his head. "It's nice to have some peace and quiet in my head for a change now that that bastard's gone." The room was struck by a contemplative silence after that.

"So that's it, huh?" Grimmjow spoke up after a while. "You're all better and spending your time dating and hanging around humans?"

"Stop it," Nel hissed, moving away from a stupefied Ichigo to the former _Sexta_ who simply gazed at her with the tired, glossy sapphires he sometimes got that showed his age and then some.

"All I'm sayin' is that he should be with us instead of the humans. He's just gonna end up in a division once his body rots anyway so what the hell's the point of just staying here," elaborated Grimmjow, noticing that Ichigo finally understood what he was getting at. "You killed Aizen for fucks sake and now you're just wasting your damn time with a lesser species. How long are you going to keep this up, kid?" He asked in exasperation, his eyes closed solemnly.

Once again, the room was still.

"As long as I can," Ichigo replied in a hushed tone that showed that he recognized at least a semblance of what his had-been enemy was saying. "I have a life here and I've only known sixteen years of it. I might give it up when my body is old and dying and my soul is still young but not yet. I have things left to do here that I wouldn't be able to do if I joined up with the Gotei. For what it's worth…" He paused and looked out the window, scanning over the neighbors' children playing outside and the cars rolling down the block, wavy ripples emitting from the hoods due to the heat. "I think I deserve a chance at a normal life even if it's a small one."

Nel nodded sagely and patted her friend on the shoulder as a sign of agreement as Grimmjow, noting the boy's resolve, conceded and mumbled something about how it was all pointless but he probably deserved it for one reason or another.

"Sorry but I have to cut this short. Orihime and I are going to a movie with some friends and I have to get ready. She'll be here soon," Ichigo said after one last pregnant moment.

"You think tonight's the night?"

"Shut up...she just stopped calling me by last name a month ago."

"Sucks to be you. I had Shaolin calling me by my first name in three hours and screaming it in two weeks," Grimmjow announced proudly, finding abundant humor in the fact that Ichigo had ears more sensitive to anything sexual than a nun. "Well, see ya. I want a match soon and I'll give you a piece of advice, don't wait until I have to come here for one."

"Fine just don't mention anything about Soifon again," the embarrassed teenager clamored, waving the two Arrancar off. "And use the door, the windowsill is going to break if one more person steps on it."

"Whatever," Grimmjow muttered, waiting for Nel to say her farewell and take a picture of the three of them. He then proceeded down the stairs and out the front door but not before grabbing a pen and a pad of paper with an adhesive strip at the top.

Outside: he closed the door, set the paper against it, and got to work.

_Hime-chan,_

_Lately I've been unable to sleep because even the thought of you arouses me to the point of insomnia. I can't stop thinking about your body and I'm afraid that I might lose my mind if I don't have you soon. I'm begging you, please come up to my room and let me make you mine. If you decide that you feel the same way and come up, I'd like you to undress beforehand and ignore me when I deny asking you to do so; that will just be my way of testing our everlasting love._

_I'm eagerly awaiting your response._

_-Ichigo_

_Ps. I've been feeling nostalgic lately so would you please do me a favor and start calling me Kurosaki-kun again?_

"You are just the worst," Nel giggled, supporting herself on the doorframe to keep from doubling over as Grimmjow plastered his masterpiece to the wood. "He'll kill you when he finds out."

"Win-win situation; I get a fight and he hopefully gets some skin. He'll thank me for this a hundred years from now."

"Thank you for what?" A brusque voice asked curiously, causing the duo to spin around and come face-to-face with a ragged-looking man with spiky black hair who exhaled smoke through his nose and sauntered up to see what had been posted on his door. "Oh-ho! Why didn't think of this? This is very fine craftsmanship indeed!" Grimmjow and Nel glanced at one another, hoping to find the answer to who this man was.

_His scent's similar to Ichigo's._

"Oi!" The unshaven man spun around, shocking the pair by having unshed tears welling up in his eyes. "You the kid's old man?"

"Kurosaki Isshin," the overly-dramatic figure stated warmly, extending his hand to Nel first who returned the gesture happily and then Grimmjow who left his hand nearly-fractured. "Ah, you must be part of the integrated Arrancar Kisuke was telling me about." That seemed to remove any doubts about who and what the doctor was, evident by the double set of raised eyebrows. "I think that's just great. It's about time something like this has happened. Well, I have to go inside. Your plan will be ruined if Hime-chan gets here while we're standing in the threshold. Bye~!"

"Wait a minute," Grimmjow ordered, pulling Isshin back outside. "I know that we gotta go soon but let me ask one thing. The hell is that ya got in your mouth there?"

"You mean this?" The physician held out his cigarette for a closer look. "It's a cigarette. I only smoke them on this day every year but I've had too many already. I'm lucky the girls are away or they'd let me have it…you want to take my pack? I don't want it." He produced a carton of smokes from his pocket and handed it to the ex-_Espada_. When all he got in return was a clueless expression, he took it upon himself to pass his knowledge along. "Here, I'll teach you." He stamped out his current roll of tobacco and brought a fresh one to his lips in addition to Grimmjow's.

Taking out a lighter, he set a spark and kindled a small flame that lit his cigarette. "What you do is take a couple small puffs after it starts burning to get it going. Then…" He inhaled sharply and held the smoke for a few seconds. "You breathe in and breathe out as much as you want. These things only hurt humans so you don't have to worry about getting sick from them. Just remember to hit the bottom of a new pack when you open them. So long~!" He tossed Grimmjow his lighter and promptly shut the door.

Two beads of sweat found the sun-scorched pavement.

_The hell…I was just asking what they were._

"They're still gross," Nel said pointedly.

Grimmjow merely shrugged and figured he may as well find out what they were on his own by mimicking the Kurosaki patriarch's demonstration.

"Weird…kinda cool though," he decided after a series of exhalations, tucking the carton into his hakama and finding it mildly relaxing to cycle the warm sensation in and out of his lungs. "Alright, let's go meet up with Starrk." Nel nodded and the two ventured around the two-story clinic to retrieve the guitar case that had been deposited below Ichigo's window. "Damn…forgot to give him a copy." Opening up the newly-reacquired case, he pulled out a disk sealed in a plastic sleeve, attached a note to it telling the recipient to 'show his friends', and hurled it through the open window.

A yelp of surprise signaled a perfect throw which made Nel erupt once again into hysterics.

Some time later, they finally got around to heading to their final stop in Karakura Town.

* * *

Grimmjow roamed down the center of a narrow lane, his boots scraping against downtrodden sand and gravel as he looked around the abandoned industrial park surrounding the street. His cigarette hung loosely from his mouth and he carried his guitar case, invisible to the world at large as he meandered down the desolate path. He took in the rust and the decay and kept walking along, paying tribute to the destruction by blowing thin puffs of smoke into the dry wind of a rather languid summer.

"Hold still."

Flash!

Nel ran back to her companion excitedly and cycled back to the picture she had just taken on her camera. "Wow, you look so cool!" She exclaimed, oblivious to the weary stare boring into her exposed skull.

"Hey is that Kisuke's camera? I saw that you found that thing when we were shipping the shit we had delivered back to him this morning."

"Maybe."

"See if it has that one of me you took a couple months ago of me sitting on the throne of _Las Noches_."

"You mean the one we all wanted to be in but you blew it up after I took it."

"Yeah, that one."

The carefree hybrid looked back through the memory, past the photo of the passionate kiss she had captured earlier in the day that brought a smile to her face and sure enough, she found some of the pictures she had taken during her time spent under the extreme supervision of the Senior Captains when they were deciding whether or not it was safe to let her and her comrades join their ranks. "Ah, here it is. You should get it framed." Grimmjow smirked fondly at the thought of it.

"Yeah…maybe I should."

The pair walked side-by-side in a comfortable wordlessness that only comes through mutual respect and understanding.

"Hey."

"What is it, Nelliel?"

"Did we know each other before I lost my memory?"

Grimmjow slowed his stride and cast a glance at the darkening haze spreading from the horizon to the sun, staining the sky with a gradient of vibrant oranges and reds amongst a few shades of purple. His eyes were worn down as they trekked across the tenuous cirrus clouds overhead.

He took a long drag on his cigarette.

"Yeah…we did."

"Were we friends?"

"Yeah."

"Who else was I friends with? I only remember Pesche and Dondochakka," Nel inquired innocently, unnerved at the emotions she could discern on Grimmjow's face.

"Just me and Starrk."

_No use telling her about Tia. What good would it do to tell her that she forgot a dead woman?_

"Grimmjow?"

"What is it Nelliel?"

"How old are you?"

"Six hundred and fifty maybe, I'm not sure. Why d'ya ask?"

Nel seemed lost in thought as she padded down the empty street, passing a stray cat scrounging the dirt for food while she contemplated what she had just learned. "It's just," her sentence trailed off and she joined Grimmjow's eyes in the company of the setting sun. "You look even older than that right now. I was just wondering."

"Ah."

"And Grimmjow?"

"Huh?"

"Please just call me Nel."

The older of the two brought his vision back down to earth and closed his eyes, a long shadow obscuring the upturned corners of his mouth. "Sure thing, kid."

* * *

"It's about time," Starrk murmured, refusing to break the duet he and Rose were thoroughly engrossed in to meet Nel and Grimmjow who had entered the strikingly busy Vizard compound.

Boxes were lined up near the door, labeled with names and stacked in neat rows. Several vans had been backed up halfway through the garage door, partially loaded already. But currently, the occupants of the barren warehouse were gathered around a barbeque set up in the center of the room, listening to what sounded like a lively Flamenco.

"The hell is all this?"

"What? You thought we'd stay here forever?" Shinji piped up from his kabob.

The Vizards and the Arrancar had formed relations under strange circumstances. They were reintroduced to one another during the half year after the Winter War; the ex-Shinigami, having required an immense amount of pleading and compensation from Urahara Kisuke and Soul Society, were tasked with occasionally overseeing and running missions with the former Hollows when the Senior Captains were not available to do so. And through their time spent together, the groups had come to form a bond that only displaced ragtag individuals such as themselves could ever hope to recreate. In fact, it would be easy to say that the Vizards preferred dealing with the Arrancar more than anyone affiliated with the government that had labeled them as criminals…even if they now technically fell under that category.

Grimmjow unpacked his guitar and replaced his waning cigarette before blending seamlessly in with Starrk and Rose. "So you're leaving this dump?" He asked, taking a bite out of the skewer of raw meat Nel held in front of his mouth so he didn't have to disturb the ambience by forsaking his instrument for food.

"Sure are," Hiyori replied. "Soul Society's been giving us a lot of bank so we're getting the hell out of here."

"Where ya goin'?"

"Dickhead Shinji, Hachi, and I are staying in Karakura since someone has to be around here when Ichigo throws in the towel and joins up with the Squads. Kensei and Mashiro'll be floating around Japan for a while but they're probably gonna hang around here too after a couple of years since this place is slated to become a city soon by the looks of things. Rose is going to some island near Spain to study music, Love is touring Europe, and Lisa got a job as a manga writer in Tokyo so she'll be close by if anything goes down," the blonde girl explained through mouthfuls of pork.

"Damn, sounds like you got your shit straightened out."

"We're trying," Lisa uttered, streaking a pencil in precise movements atop the sketchbook on her lap. "We realize that we won't be able to assimilate completely with the humans but we're not going back to Soul Society no matter how much money they give us or how much they beg." She dragged her pencil hard against the paper for emphasis. "Here, take a look at this and tell me what you think." The bespectacled woman leaned over and shared a drawing that featured her choice genre of manga.

"You got talent," Grimmjow admitted lightly, evaluating the piece as a fellow connoisseur of the perverse. "Good expression…great detail…and fantastic angle of penetration. You sure know what you're doing Lisa-chan." Lisa was one of two people that earned the use of his honorifics, the other being the Captain-Commander.

"See, I knew _someone_ would appreciate my skill," she huffed, planting a kiss on Grimmjow's cheek before beginning a new sketch.

"We never said you were a bad artist," Shinji groaned, eyes tilted up to the ceiling. "We just said you draw weird things."

Grimmjow couldn't help but let the grin that had been hiding at the corner of his mouth overtake his face as he played and ate amongst the closest thing he'd ever had to a family. If someone had told him during his time as an _Espada_ that he would one day be playing in a guitar trio in a rundown warehouse in the Living World, he would've spat in their face and walked away. Before this, he hadn't known about all the things he could've had, he didn't know how much he _needed _these sorts of things in his life.

Now finished with their meal, the group relaxed and took in the harmonious Latin melody permeating the air. Nel had set the timer on her camera and a photo of the twelve all together had been taken with the guitar players strumming away, Shinji flying in a blur of motion clutching his head, Hiyori slipping her sandal back on, Nel, Lilynette, and Mashiro taunting Kensei to the point of Hollowizing, Hachi chatting away with Love as if nothing was happening, and Lisa looking up from her sketchbook with a Mona Lisa smile.

"So you're getting sworn in tomorrow, eh?" Love asked the present Arrancar, earning four nods. "Well I hope you end up better than we did," he added sourly.

"Don't say it like that," Mashiro interjected, waving her arms in an odd attempt to make Love go back on his word.

"They're already half-Hollow. What the hell else can happen to them?" Kensei questioned lowly, bringing the room into a consensus on that fact. "The only thing they have to worry about is what Soul Society already has against them and surpass it in any way that they can. They're already halfway there too, they have the senior Taicho on their side and that pays a lot. And the new Central Forty-Six isn't made up of a bunch of hardasses so that should allow them a few slip-ups before they pull the plug on the whole idea of integration."

Three pairs of eyes turned to Grimmjow.

"What?!"

Kensei laughed. "How many strikes has he put up for you already?"

"He fought Kuchiki-Taicho two days ago," Nel remarked blandly, soon falling victim to the contagious mirth that spread around the room.

"That boy's barely two hundred, what are you picking on him for?" Hachi chuckled, running through the memories of Kuchiki Ginrei's hotheaded grandson.

"He called me trash."

A deaf silence followed the abrupt end of the laughter. "Yeesh, that'd do it." Shinji mumbled. "Still hung over that Ulqui-what's his name guy, huh?" Grimmjow snorted and twisted up his lip in a snarl. "I guess you are." He rose to his feet and took off his hat, garnering the attention of the entire room. "Hate to end this party early and on a sour note like this but I'm going to bed. Need to get up early tomorrow to drop Rose and Love off at the airport." The former Captain then pulled out a pen and paper and began scribbling a pattern of digits four times over on separate pieces. "Here's the number to my special phone. Any of you need something, just call me and I'll be there."

Following suit, the other Vizards wrote their numbers down and started passing them around the room.

"I'll send you guys a copy of my album once I get a deal worked out," Rose hummed drowsily, refusing to take back the guitar he had lent Starrk and disappearing up a nearby ladder that led to the bedrooms.

"Later."

"Farewell."

"Bye, see ya dickhead Grimm."

Love, Hachi, and Hiyori were on his heels, leaving eight in the moonlit floor level of the derelict building.

"Call me if you ever get into serious trouble or if Soul Society ever finds a reason to criminalize you," Kensei said to Grimmjow in a tone that lacked everything but the utmost sincerity. "You're the only guy who can keep up with my training methods for three days straight, it wouldn't be right for you to die a dog's death." The two clasped hands and traded a round of punches before parting ways and giving Lisa enough room to sidle in between them.

"You have to promise to visit, Grimm. I need someone to bounce ideas off of," she said somberly.

"Don't worry about it, Lisa-chan. I'll have to see you to buy copies of your art, won't I?"

"Idiot, like I'd let you pay for it. You can pick up issues for free…or maybe you can pay me in a way that's mutually satisfying."

Grimmjow was amused. "Sorry, I'm fucking my Taicho." It took him a while to register the knowing look he got after dropping that bit of news.

"I've been down that road. Its not as glamorous as I thought it'd be." She blinked and she found a disk in her hands. "What's this?"

"It's my film debut. Maybe you can use it as source material."

Lisa giggled and kissed her friend on his mask fragment. "That's as close to your lips as I can get without you cheating. Come find me if things don't work out." She started up the ladder and ignored the rebuke from below.

Six were left

Kensei came back down, leaving a string of curses behind him as he peeled Nel and Mashiro apart, doing his best not to explode from the lime-haired girl's wailing combined with the beating she was giving his back as he slung her over his shoulder and went up.

Shinji sighed and ran his hand through the dirty blonde locks of his hair, not bothering to put them back into place. "I know Kensei sort of touched on this already but most of us are staying close to Karakura so if something big happens and you guys get into a mess, I want you to contact us, we'll be here to help. You're our friends and Vizards _do not_ abandon their friends when they need them the most." He rolled his eyes when Nel nearly tackled him into a bone-crushing hug when he finished. "No need to get so teary, you'll always be my first love," he managed to choke out, heaving a breath and a word of thanks after Grimmjow and Starrk pried the emotionally distraught Arrancar off of him.

"Tell Ichigo that he gets the same offer."

Four hybrids were left alone in the dark, muggy interior of the warehouse, listening to the nocturnal chorus of chirping crickets and howling dogs.

"Let's go home."

The quartet moved out into the humid street and tore three separate holes in reality to take them back to Seireitei.

"Tomorrow we're officially Shinigami," Starrk yawned. "Any of you having second thoughts?" No one answered and he let a smile grace his lips. "I didn't think so."

_After all, no one wants to go back to being lonely._

* * *

"Yachiru, how long do I have to wait here? It's been almost five hours already."

"Don't worry Ken-chan, he'll be here soon."

"This guy better be worth it."

Three eyes darted to the ground-level of the Second Division barracks as a tearing sound reverberating across the vicinity signaled the presence of a _Garganta_. The owners of said eyes hopped down from the rooftops, kicked up a cloud of dust upon landing and eagerly made their way over to the portal where an unmistakable head of blue hair and set of white clothes appeared from the darkness.

"Yo, you must be the guy that killed Nnoitra," Grimmjow stated deceptively coolly, mirroring the psychotic grin of the behemoth in front of him. "The hell you doin' over here in my barracks?" Both men stared at one another, trying to discern any weakness in the other while keeping themselves composed.

"Just looking for a match that'll bleed me dry," Kenpachi answered casually as if he said the sentence multiple times in a day. "I know it's late but the Old Man said I can't disturb the peace tomorrow because of the ceremony and I didn't want to wait two days to fight you." His lone eye swiveled around the surrounding buildings, aware that he was in a courtyard much too small for what he had in mind. "Yachiru says you're strong. I want you to show me _how_ strong."

Grimmjow's face was the image of bloodlust. "That's fine by me as long as we go someplace else. I don't want Shaolin running out here to break it up."

"We'll go to my barracks, they're built for fighting."

Without another word, the two halves of the apocalypse took to the skies.

They rejoined in a circular terrace adorned with white Yarrows: the flower of the Eleventh Division. Large tiles coated the ground, some cracked and some completely missing from previous battles. There was enough space to assemble all Thirteen Squads and space them four feet apart. It was perfect.

"You said we only got until the morning, right?" Grimmjow asked, sword unsheathed with his hand clawed at the guard. "How about we cut the foreplay and go all out right from the start then? If we work from the beginning then I'm guessing we could keep this up for at least a couple days."

Kenpachi's lips split apart, revealing his fangs. "Alright then." There was a pulse that disrupted the summer breeze and two pillars of yellow and blue reiatsu rocketed into the air.

"That's it?" They growled simultaneously.

"Oi, you're barely stronger than Nnoitra with that release. What the hell?"

"I ain't done yet, asshole and what about you? You couldn't kill a fly with that weak reiatsu."

"I ain't done yet either so shut up!"

The combatants went silent for a moment and then fell into mutual laughter. "So you can still go further than that?" Kenpachi cackled, setting down Yachiru and ripping off his eye patch. "That's good." His reiatsu ignited the air, forming a gaseous yellow skull around him. "Just don't disappoint me." Before he even finished his statement, a thick, billowing azure miasma coated the ground around him, placing the weight of an entire ocean on his shoulders.

"Now that's what I'm talking about."

A serrated blade cut through the smog and that was the first time he had met the white and black-striped panther skull that he would soon come to know very well.

* * *

"Unohana-Taicho!"

"What is it Iemura-san?" The Fourth Division Captain had just about to seal her paperwork and head into her quarters before her Third Seat had rushed in frantically with a look of horror on his face.

"I was visiting a patient in the Eleventh…" He panted, planting his hands on his superior's desk to steady himself. "Division and this thing with pale skin and black lines all over its body and…and blue hair attacked Zaraki-Taicho!"

"Oh dear, Kurotsuchi-Taicho has finally had enough it would seem." Unohana rose from her chair and set out into the night to put an end to the dispute.

* * *

Soifon was annoyed, she was agitated, she was vexed, and she couldn't remember the last time her futon felt so big and empty.

_Where the hell is he?_

As if on cue, her window shot open and a streak of white and blue scrambled into the sparsely furnished bedroom. "If anyone asks, I've been here for an hour," Grimmjow gasped, closing the window and pulling the curtains. "Mama's kind of pissed right now so I'm gonna hide out in here until morning."

"You live here," Soifon stated bluntly, sitting up in her bed with a concerned expression marring her features. "What did you do," she seethed.

"I met Kenpachi and I forgot that the other times I used my _Segunda Etapa_ were under the power limiter so I accidentally ended up destroying _a lot_ of things and then I felt Mama coming so I bailed," the Arrancar relayed hastily, eyeing his lover's futon with disdain. "You expect me to sleep on that?"

"I don't indulge myself with luxurious bed-" The Commander of the Onmitsukido was cut off as she was lifted into the air, sheets and all and carried by a pair of stone-carved arms all the way to the Vice-Captain's bedchamber. As much as she hated it, she couldn't voice her contempt over the matter. She simply reveled in the spontaneity and the way she was delicately handled.

Falling back into plush bedding, she quickly found her arms pinned over her head in an iron grip. "You kept your hair down," Grimmjow observed, trailing a path of fleeting kisses across Soifon's collarbone up to her lips. "I didn't realize that my opinions were valued so highly, Shaolin." He cut of her retort by holding her tongue down with his. "But then again…" The hybrid pulled down the sheets separating their bodies and discovered that he wasn't the only one who regularly slept without clothes. "You are…"

_My Woman._

**

* * *

**

Author's Note:

Grimmjow and cigarettes plus a guitar in the sunset. That's one hell of a piece of fanart.

Well how was this for an update, eh? I've reverted back to my traditional writing style and I like it a lot better. I hope you all regard the changes I've made as for the best.

Sorry about last chapter, it was a little jumbled and it wasn't written as well as say chapter two which I think is my favorite. I think I suffer from some kind of condition where I only realize that something is fucked up when somebody tells me that it is. Weird, huh?

Anyway, one more chapter plus the epilogue and this story crosses the finish line.

Drop me a line and tell me what you'd think about an action-adventure/romance sequel to _Los Pantera_.

**Reader Response!**

Ulqyfangirl27: You know what, you're absolutely right and I hope this chapter was up to your standards. Thank you for pointing out my errors, I went back and edited the previous chapter a bit. As for the action, I've been storing it up for a sequel. If I have one, there will be BLUD!

:-) …or is it Ultravizardfan?: Yeah, I think the dialogue was the most redeeming factor. Thanks for reading.

Caramel: Grimmjow is a strange drunk. I modeled him after a buddy of mine who repeatedly yells Spanish phrases and random numbers when he drinks waaaaay too much.

Lovemydogs: That helped with me getting this chapter out as fast as I did, thanks. And what the hell are you doing reading this response? Go work on Mine! XD

Scotty's: Take off your shoes next time.

Detroit: thank you for reviewing

Soaha: I got about three feet and it saved my ass from work plus have me time for writing. Thank you for reviewing.

Blackheart: No reign lasts forever.


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